The fourth round of negotiations on the collective labor agreement for around 430,000 commercial employees also failed to produce an agreement on Tuesday. Now the union boss has clear words: during the Corona crisis, the employees were praised as systemically important “and now they are treated like wet rags,” says Wolfgang Katzian.
“In reality, you’re not even giving them anything close to the progression of inflation. How should that end?”, the union president said on Wednesday in the Ö1 “Morgenjournal”.
Brewers, bakers and nurses show how it’s done
The high inflation caused by the federal government must now be offset by appropriate wage agreements, “otherwise purchasing power will fall dramatically,” Katzian emphasizes. He referred to the “very good” results recently in the brewing sector, bakers and the social economy, where the previous annual inflation was offset.
It’s incomprehensible that this wouldn’t work for metalheads and retailers: “It’s completely clear that they’re pissed off and conflicted,” says Katzian.
Social partnership under pressure
The attitude of employers in the trade and metal industries is a burden on social partnership. Works councils and trade union members are sometimes put under pressure and threatened. “A works council is not an individual, but part of a movement. Anyone who messes with individuals messes with all of us,” the top trade unionist said belligerently.
The bottleneck is one-off payments
For metal workers, the employers’ final proposal is plus six percent and a one-off payment of 1,200 euros. The PRO-GE and GPA unions are demanding an increase of 10.6 percent. They reject one-off payments because they would not be taken into account in next year’s wage increase.
Crucial days between negotiations and strike
The unions have announced warning strikes and there have already been daily strikes in the metal industry. The trade association of the metal technology industry with its approximately 135,000 employees will negotiate the 2024 collective labor agreement in the eighth round on Thursday. The bicycle couriers will also start the collective labor agreement negotiations. In addition to legal improvements in the KV, the Vida union is calling for an increase in the minimum wage to 2,000 euros gross per month.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
