The Austrian trade union federation (ÖGB) maintains its demand for shorter working hours. “Of course we will push this forward, discuss it seriously and implement it,” ÖGB president Wolfgang Katzian said in his speech in Vienna on Wednesday. He has not committed himself to a certain number of hours.
The goal is still clear to Katzian. At a time when digitization is not yet complete and productivity is exploding, there is no trade union against short-time work. The ÖGB will encourage and enforce this. The union’s wish to take action against poverty and the risk of poverty with a collectively agreed minimum wage of 2,000 euros also remains on the agenda.
Social standards as an EU criterion
There have always been heated arguments, including between the factions, and if he has offended anyone, Katzian is sorry. It was “never my intention,” he said. Another focus of Katzian’s speech was the EU. More democratization is needed, a counter-movement against authoritarian tendencies. Enlargement should not only involve economic criteria, but also trade union rights and social standards. If a works council election is prevented, criminal law must threaten.
Ukrainian trade union leader Grygorii Osovyi, who attended the event, also spoke on the second day of the ÖKO Congress. He described the situation in his country and how it affects the union. Thousands of members have been lost and many who remain cannot pay their dues. Katzian called it unthinkable to do union work during a war and expressed the solidarity of the ÖGB. Russia must end this war and withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine.
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.
