Employees of various Austrian courts unpack about their daily work. They speak of staff shortages, “discriminatory” salaries and inflated procedures.
The cry for help from the prison guards at the Graz-Jakomini facility encouraged other victims to turn to the “Krone”. Some Austrian court officials, who wish to remain anonymous, also describe worrying circumstances. “We see the great danger of the entire system collapsing soon. We have long reached our limits. If the judiciary is to be guaranteed, something has to change urgently, otherwise we have Italian conditions – nobody wants that,” the employees sit up and remark. The district courts are badly affected, but the problem now also affects the regional and higher authorities. regional courts.
“I hope every day that no one gets sick”
One of the main problems is the blatant lack of staff. “We sincerely hope every day that no one gets sick, resigns or goes on maternity leave. Because if only one head is lost in the system, it is hardly possible to compensate for the work,” say the employees. “If you want to go on holiday yourself or want further training, that is hardly possible, because there are hardly any replacements and the work has to be worked up as soon as you return.” In some cases, colleagues even forfeit their vacation to rent out. And a lot of overtime is also the order of the day. “The risk of employees getting burned out is not unreasonable,” emphasize the experts.
“Salaries are discriminatory in a sense”
The employees also criticize the remuneration: “The salaries are discriminatory in a way. We have internship periods of up to five years, but even the starting salaries are unattractive. Office workers earn 1814.50 euros gross, how can they afford an apartment in the city?”
The private sector is desperate for qualified personnel and offers significantly higher salaries, so there are signs of migration. “The entire federal service has now completely fallen behind. And the argument that you have a permanent job with the federal government doesn’t interest anyone these days,” they say.
Another problem is the fact that relatively well-functioning procedures have been blown up during legislative changes – without the necessary personnel being available, the experts say. In some divisions there were even petitions in which the employees announced their names – “this is an absolute novelty in the judiciary”.
“It’s all useless, nobody does anything”
The problems have long been known in the ministry, but it is all useless. “The judiciary is dying a slow death, nobody is doing anything about it – not even Justice Minister Alma Zadic. Maybe these problems don’t even reach her?” And when there is another ministerial change, everything starts all over again.
To combat the shortage of skilled workers, the Ministry of Justice wants to do everything it can to create attractive jobs and conditions, for example by means of a home office. “During the negotiations on the staffing plan in 2020 and 2021, the Ministry of Justice managed to recruit additional staff. In 2020, a total of 100 permanent posts were created in the field of general administrative services to support the courts and prosecutors. In addition, 300 positions in the middle service could be converted to higher positions in the specialist service,” said Julia Rieder, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice.
Looking for reinforcements with “personnel offensive”
As of June 1, 2022, nearly 1.8 percent of general administrative services positions in courts and prosecutors were occupied nationwide. “And there were additional training places for aspiring bailiffs and prosecutors.”
“Yet the judiciary is generally faced with a skilled labor shortage,” Rieder says. Every effort is made to create attractive jobs and preconditions. This is how the “Personnel Offensive” project was started. Worth mentioning are the intensification of the admission and training of apprentices, the professionalization of the admission of employees and the online career portal.
Since the salary in the judiciary is based on the general public service salary rates, creating jobs with attractive salaries and advancement and advancement opportunities is important in the hiring campaign. The general terms and conditions must also be made more attractive through more flexible working hours or working from home.
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.
