Interview with ‘Krone’ creates excitement at the start of the KV negotiations. The demand for a zero wage round is on the table. The government does not have a majority for a decision in parliament.
The employee representatives enter the negotiations quite irritated. Not just because there is talk of a zero salary for civil servants. Politicians made them wait thirteen weeks (!) before they started the KV talks. First of all, the elections for the National Council stood in the way, and now there is “a civil servant minister (Werner Kogler) who does not seem to be playing along,” says Christian Meidlinger from the union of municipal civil servants at the “Krone”.
Politicians and unions outraged by RH boss
The big talking point in the first round of negotiations was an interview by the Crown with Auditor General Margit Kraker, in which she called for the suspension of the pay increase for civil servants. Politicians and unions are irritated by this. August Wöginger, the club chairman of the ÖVP, responded sharply that Kraker should concentrate on her tasks and not do politics. The Court of Auditors is an oversight body of Parliament and not a political body. “The amount of salary adjustments in the public sector is determined by politicians and not by the Court of Audit,” said Wöginger.
Eckehard Quin, the chairman of the public trade union (GÖD), emphasizes that purchasing power must be secured sustainably. In the first round, the underlying economic data was initially left out of discussion. An inflation rate of 3.8 percent and economic growth of 0.6 percent are assumed. From now on we will continue in a small group.
First major civil servant demonstration in eleven years
Time is of the essence as there must be resolutions in the National Council before January 1. Another problem with the talks is the lack of a government majority in the National Council. A third partner would be needed to decide civil servant salaries. The logical thing here would be the approval of the SPÖ, whose negotiators also play an important role in the talks on the civil service side. However, government negotiations must also be taken into account, because the NEOS are probably on the brakes. Whatever the outcome of the talks: next week there will be the first major demonstration by civil servants in eleven years.
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.
