On Friday, employers and the union agreed on a new collective labor agreement for shop workers. Wages will increase by eight percent in all groups and will be rounded up to the next whole euro amount.
In addition, fixed amounts are paid to compensate for inflation, which vary between 21 and 27 euros per month, depending on the wage group. According to the Chamber of Commerce, it has also been decided to increase the allowances: the cooling allowance, for example for employees in cold stores, will increase to 0.82 euros per hour or 137.50 euros per month. The night allowance will be increased to 2.20 per hour. When it comes to travel costs, the daily allowance, which is intended to cover additional costs for meals, will be increased to 19.30 euros.
Continued payment of wages for firefighters
The new collective labor agreement now also provides for continued payment of wages for employees who volunteer for the fire brigade or other emergency services in the event of an emergency.
“Given the challenging situation in domestic trade, negotiations were very difficult. “I am all the more pleased that we have reached a common conclusion today (…),” said Rainer Trefelik, department chairman of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, in a press release. Christine Heitzinger, chief negotiator of the Vida union, spoke of a “sustainable wage increase.”
Close under inflation
The increase among commercial employees, which was achieved at the end of December after months of negotiations, is slightly higher at 8.43 percent. However, both degrees are below rolling inflation, which was 9.2 percent from October to September 2023.
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.
