Negotiations are to be continued this Sunday at 11 a.m., the vida union said to the APA. The fronts were hardened before the conversation started. The ideas for a conclusion of the KV negotiations for around 65 companies, including ÖBB or Westbahn, were far apart. The preparations for the strike continued.
In order to avoid large-scale failures, an agreement had to be reached by early Sunday afternoon. In the run-up, both sides accused each other of irresponsible behavior. Nevertheless, one tries again with talks. The employee representatives of the vida union are demanding 400 euros more on all KV and actual wages for the railway workers. However, the demanded 400 euros are far too much for the employer representatives of the Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ).
On the question of what it takes for the warning strike to be averted, chief employee negotiator Gerhard Tauchner said to the APA: The Chamber of Commerce needs to understand that what we have asked for is necessary for the railway workers to have a proper Being able to go on with life.” Tauchner went on to say about any leeway: “There is leeway in the design of the result, of course a small part can be done via the ‘cost-of-living bonus’ offered,” he alluded to a one-off payment of 1,000 euros offered by the employer. Main part However, a conclusion must be the increase of the KV and actual salaries, Tauchner confirmed.
“Not very confident” that strike will be averted
“If you look at the last statements, I’m not very confident that it will be possible to avert this strike,” said employer chief negotiator Thomas Scheiber in an interview with APA shortly before the start of negotiations. Even you want to go “solution-oriented” in the talks. But the pressure that has built up is not helpful, said Scheiber about the impending warning strike: “Forcing talks tends to prevent solutions.”
The employee representatives of the vida union are demanding 400 euros more on all KV and actual wages for the railway workers. According to the union, that would be an average plus of 12 percent if the current other degrees for metalworkers or civil servants would clearly outstrip them. Meanwhile, the employers even spoke to the APA of 13.3 percent, which would mean the 400-euro requirement.
It’s not about framework law. The argument is based on relatively low starting salaries and salaries, some of which are below the risk of poverty threshold. They originally asked for 500 euros, but employers had already been accommodated by 20 percent, Tauchner recently emphasized.
The required 400 euros are the employer representatives of the Economic Chamber (WKÖ) too high. However, according to their own statements, they still offer the best offer in the previous autumn wage round. “We offer an average of 8 percent,” explained Scheiber. “Everyone should get an additional 7.5 percent or at least 200 euros. That fits with the signal from the union that lower salary brackets need a bigger increase.” In addition, the companies are also willing to pay 1,000 euros as a one-off payment to all employees in December as a “cost-of-living bonus”. “That would not result in full compensation for inflation in the upper range, but an increase of up to 13 percent in the lower salary brackets,” said Scheiber. “None of the collective agreements concluded so far this year even come close to our offer.”
One-off payments have so far been rejected by the individual ÖGB sub-unions in the current autumn wage round. Such are “not sustainable”.
If there is a strike, all rail traffic in Austria will come to a standstill on Monday, ÖBB warned. They asked passengers to postpone non-essential journeys or to choose alternative travel options. There may be cancellations of the Nightjet and EuroNight connections from Sunday evening or until Tuesday morning. In the event of a strike, the railways will announce details of restrictions, delays or cancellations on oebb.at/streik, the ÖBB social media channels and in the SCOTTY timetable information. According to Scheiber, all railway companies are trying to inform passengers as best they can and to replace the tickets or keep them valid.
Post buses would not be affected by the strike. This also applies to municipal transport companies such as the underground in Vienna. However, the S-Bahn, which would not run during a strike, is also particularly important for commuter traffic to and in Vienna. Failures here recently due to a works meeting in the course of the KV dispute have already led to the displeasure of some passengers.
The vida also wanted to ask its railway workers members about the result once it was obtained. But that would go quickly – digitally – they said.
Source: Nachrichten
