As a result of the future government’s planned austerity package, a project in the education department that was intended to reduce the burden on compulsory schools through middle management is being halted. People in the union are “irritated”.
To avoid an EU deficit procedure, 6.4 billion euros must be saved, of which 1.1 billion euros must come from the ministries. Stopping the dismissal measure for schools is expected to generate 50 million euros.
The teaching staff and school management at compulsory schools (especially primary and secondary schools) have been complaining for a long time about being overloaded with administrative tasks. The measure, which was decided shortly before the elections in September, was intended to create the new role of ‘educational-administrative specialist’ from the autumn of 2025. Like the administrators of the AHS and BMHS, they must relieve the school directors of the burden of organizing lessons (making timetables, classifying subjects, etc.) and communicating with parents and authorities (e.g. child and youth care).
Half an hour per week per class was scheduled, and the teachers responsible would be compensated for additional services. Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) announced that the measure would bring “noticeable relief to the school site.”
Ministry: “No cuts”
Because the ministry has to save 65 million euros annually, the measures will not be implemented anyway. However, this is not a cutback, as the department emphasizes in the ‘Standard’ (Saturday edition). “It is rather a withdrawal of a measure that would have been new.”
“I find it very irritating that this step is being taken publicly without any discussion about it first,” says top teachers unionist Paul Kimberger (FCG). If the measure is actually saved, it would be “a serious blow to compulsory schools”. “We currently have the problem that it is difficult to find headmasters for some schools, because it is already known how stressful this job is now,” teacher representative Jürgen Pany (FSG) also emphasizes in the “ZiB2” on Friday evening. “We are even more disappointed that this is on the list of cuts to achieve budget targets.”
AMS is skeptical about cutting back on extra income for the unemployed
On Saturday there were also skeptical voices about the planned restriction or far-reaching abolition of additional income for the unemployed. They are currently allowed to earn additional income up to the marginal income limit (551 euros). According to “Kurier”, almost ten percent of the unemployed, half of whom received emergency aid, recently earned some extra money. In total there were about 28,200 people. The ÖVP states that a restriction would bring the unemployed back into the labor market more quickly; the coalition negotiators of the FPÖ and ÖVP hope that this will result in savings of around 82 million euros by 2025.
However, Tyrolean AMS boss Sabine Platzer-Werlberger expects only minor effects. In Tyrol, for example, seasonal workers in particular would do menial work outside the season as a “stabilizing factor” for their unemployment time. The companies would also not be happy with a restriction on additional income, Platzer-Werlberger said in the “Tiroler Tageszeitung”. This is also part of securing their livelihood for some, Vorarlberg’s AMS director Bernhard Bereuter emphasized in the “Vorarlberger Nachrichten”. “Certain people who have little chance of finding a fully insured job, for example because of their health, old age or low qualifications, will find it difficult.”
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.
