This was announced by the unions GPA and vida after an agreement in the fourth round with the employers’ association SWÖ. 130,000 employees in the social economy, i.e. the private care, health and social sector, are affected.
An increase of 8 percent was agreed for everyone, with salaries being increased by at least 175 euros a month. As a result, the lowest income group gets a salary increase of 10.2 percent. Overall, almost a third of the employees benefit from the minimum amount, it said. Part-time salaries will be increased proportionately.
Better recognition of previous service periods – for example from community service or the voluntary social year – was agreed in the framework law as well as improvements in reclassifications to higher salary brackets after training and five days off in preparation for the final apprenticeship examination for apprentices. The surcharge for short-term replacement will be increased by 20 percent.
15 percent as the original requirement
“The result of the negotiations is well above the underlying inflation. We are pleased that we were able to increase lower incomes more. That is particularly important in the current situation,” said GPA chief negotiator Eva Scherz in a broadcast. It was important to achieve sustainable salary increases instead of “one-off payments that fizzle out immediately”. vida negotiator Michaela Guglberger noted that due to the rise in prices, the focus was on the salary agreement: “However, our demands for a reduction in working hours remain valid.”
Scherz thanked the thousands of employees who, after faltering negotiations, had recently drawn attention to their concerns. The unions had originally demanded a salary increase of 15 percent and at least 350 euros for a full-time position from the employers. There have also been calls from unions for a reduction in working hours to 35 hours a week without cuts in wages. In the previous week there was a demo and numerous company meetings to give emphasis to the demands. Strikes were considered.
The employer side has already indicated an improvement in their offer of 7.5 percent and a minimum amount of 150 euros, but is trying to scale down hopes. He could not imagine that the degree would be in double digits, said the managing director of the Austrian social economy and negotiator on the employer side, Walter Marschitz, on Wednesday on ORF radio. After the agreement was reached, he saw an important signal to the “large majority of women” among employees “who have been under great pressure in recent years”.
Source: Nachrichten
