KTM was no longer able to pay the November salaries and most of the Christmas bonus, and the bankrupt motorcycle manufacturer still owed the promised advance on the December salary. Former Federal Minister Alois Stöger is now appealing for this. The SPÖ politician calls on the ÖVP to repay an earlier donation from KTM boss Stefan Pierer to the employees.
Stefan Pierer transferred just over 436,000 euros to the ÖVP for the Kurz team in 2017 – the donation later earned the KTM owner an appointment to the “Ibiza” investigative committee.
Seven years after the flow of money, the SPÖ is now making this donation a problem, in the aftermath of the motorcycle manufacturer’s bankruptcy. “It is unacceptable that employees have to worry about their wages and Christmas bonuses during the Christmas period, while the ÖVP lets Pierer pocket the money,” says Alois Stöger. The ex-minister, currently executive chairman of the SPÖ Upper Austria, calls on the ÖVP to earmark the received party donations and quickly transfer them to the injured KTM employees.
He tells Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) and Chancellor Karl Nehammer: “When it comes to KTM, people expect answers and action, not silence. Please refund the Pierer donation quickly.” By the way, the slightly more than 436,000 euros would amount to about 120 euros per employee.
The insolvency fund will not pay out until January
The bankruptcy compensation fund will cover the missed November salary and most of the outstanding Christmas bonus. However, it will probably take until the end of January for the money to flow here. The fact that KTM has not fulfilled its promise to transfer advances on the December salary, but now wants to adhere to the usual payment dates, is putting its more than 3,600 employees in dire straits.
At the beginning of this week, Andreas Stangl, president of the Chamber of Labor of Upper Austria, sharply criticized Stefan Pierer. Stangl demanded that he help the employees financially from his own pocket.
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.
