Much is still unclear about the cause of the million-dollar gap in adult education centres. Criticism comes from the ÖVP.
Shortly before Christmas, the dismissal of 43 employees of the adult education center due to financial problems caused a stir. The city then announced a support amount of five million euros, which will now be presented to the municipal council committee on January 9. For the ÖVP, there are still many unanswered questions about the case:
- Transparency on the part of the city government? In the December city council, the ÖVP made an urgent request to the mayor about the background of the financial situation. This was rejected as inadmissible.
- What reorganization measures are currently planned? The file states: “From now on, personnel planning will be based on ‘normal work’ and not on peaks”. The ÖVP considers this an acknowledgment of massive wastage of money in recent years. The office of responsible municipal councilor Wiederkehr (NEOS) justifies it this way: “Structural changes of individual independent adult education centers have led to more cooperation.”
- Should more people be laid off? Part of the savings are “56.6 full-time equivalents that will be unfilled by 2028.” Is it just retirements or also layoffs? “At least during the revision period of the financing agreement, no further layoffs will be necessary,” says the city council.
- Shortages: The large jump in losses (see image above) is also inexplicable for the ÖVP.
“After a deficit explosion to almost 10.7 million euros by 2023, 5 million euros must be collected by the Viennese taxpayer. VHS employees have to pay the rest with their jobs. I am more than disappointed that the SPÖ has made a huge contribution to adult education in Vienna. endangered by its decades of inactivity,” ÖVP chairman Karl Mahrer criticized.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
