Inflation, sanctions – National Council: heated debate, many calls for order

The government decided to make only one-off payments instead of fighting inflation, SPÖ social spokesman and trade unionist Josef Muchitsch accused the ÖVP and the Greens. “Your policy (…) is wrong,” said Muchitsch, who also alternated a small Tyrolean election campaign: “You really get a blow on the lid on Sunday and you deserve it with the policy that you also accused in relation to the pensioners Muchitsch government of protecting the winners of the crisis instead of helping the people.From the SPÖ’s point of view, the calculation of the statutory pension increase should be modified by using inflation from January to December (now from August to December). July), which is expected to be 8.4 percent this year – “that’s necessary and that’s affordable”.

Rauch extremely outraged, Wöginger is by his side
Social Affairs Minister Rauch was angry about Red’s harsh criticism. International factors make it a “complete illusion” to believe that only the Austrian government can manage to fight inflation and rising prices. “I think it’s a little frivolous to just talk about one-time payments,” Rauch said, and it’s “still frivolous” to claim that these don’t matter to a single parent or a retiree. “What world do you live in?” Rauch asked the SPÖ. The amounts made it possible to pay the bills, “that’s emergency aid”. In addition, social benefits such as child support would be adjusted in the future – Rauch did not forget to mention what no Red Minister of Social Affairs had brought together.

The increase in pensions must, of course, be at a level that compensates for inflation. Legally that would be 5.8 percent, retiree demands are known to be higher and talks are ongoing, Rauch said. The second round of negotiations will take place at the beginning of the afternoon. Again, the minister hinted that the increase for small pensions would be higher. An increase of eight to ten percent, however, would structurally amount to 4.5 billion euros in the budget, and it is also the responsibility of the government to pay attention to the budget.

“Retirees can rely on this federal government,” added ÖVP club president August Wöginger to the minister. Among the red chancellors, the adjustment of pensions was not so generous, he emphasized. Wöginger also happily referred to Red-ruled Vienna and there the fee is rising, for which “the Sheriff of Nottingham, the Mayor Ludwig” (Michael, SPÖ, note) is responsible.

Questionable SPÖ Counter
SPÖ mandatary Eva Maria Holzleitner answered no less cordially. She recalled a case last weekend in Graz where a 75-year-old man allegedly shot his 71-year-old wife and then himself — “out of necessity,” Holzleitner said. People would commit suicide because the federal government did not respond, she accused the coalition. National Council president Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP), who called to order several times in the course of the debate, urged “moderation” both on the desk and in the rows of MPs.

NEOS missing employees in debate
NEOS boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger couldn’t understand why the SPÖ only wanted to talk about pensioners, but not about the employees – that was “pure clientelism”. From a pink point of view, taxes and indirect labor costs should be reduced.

FPÖ powerfully divided
With FPÖ social spokeswoman Dagmar Belakowitsch, things then continued loudly and aggressively and therefore also with a call for order. Sanctions against Russia should be ended because they only harm the local population, but the government is “too cowardly” to say so. The one-off benefits “disappear immediately,” and when it came to the pension increase, a “secretary of state for maddened young people” took action against the “generation that worked for our prosperity,” enraged Belakovich. “Your policies are destroying the continent.” It is “second class” to claim that the sanctions are intended to make the population worse here, while in Ukraine people are dying every day, Green MEP Bedrana Ribo objected.

FPÖ club boss Herbert Kickl also shook up sanctions against Russia in the “Aktuelle Europastunden” that followed. He warned of “scarcity a la DDR”. The worst economic crisis since World War II is imminent, said Kickl, who described the government’s actions in agreement with the EU as pathetic. Minister of Europe Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) did not accept this. We must ensure prosperity and security in the country, but at the same time take a clear stand against Russia’s violation of international law. “Stop dividing Austrian society,” she shouted to Kickl.

Environmentalists caused a hiatus
The debate was briefly interrupted by a group of environmentalists from Extinction Rebellion. In leaflets, with songs and a banner they demanded implementation of the recommendations of the climate council in the visitors’ gallery,

promise at the beginning
At the start of the session, the President of the National Council Sobotka inaugurated the new ÖVP MP Karl Schmidhofer. He succeeds Gabriela Schwarz, who became ombudsman during the reshuffle of the government in Styria.