Image: Katharina Schiffl
According to a release on Tuesday, the GPA union is being offered a binding offer to extend the term until mid-2024 in order to enable negotiations on a redesign. The union has meanwhile reacted with sharp criticism.
The publishers’ association justified the termination, which also affects the overall contract for permanent freelance employees, with the current economic and technological challenges. “Due to the increasing switch to digital newspapering, we are, on the one hand, in a direct competitive situation with international digital platforms such as Google, Meta and Co. On the other hand, the free digital offer of the public broadcasting service, which will in future be financed by contributions with around 810 million euros, makes the transformation of the public broadcaster more difficult Advertising revenue,” VÖZ President Markus Mair was quoted as saying.
“Collective agreement must be adapted to prevailing circumstances”
In order to ensure “preservation of media diversity”, the collective agreement must be “adapted to the prevailing circumstances”, which referred to the price increases and declining overall sales of the publishers. In addition, work processes in the editorial offices would have to be redesigned from a focus on print products to all media channels, which is not reflected in the current KV. The framework agreement must therefore be designed in such a way “that, on the one hand, the continued existence of the company and thereby the diversity of media, titles and opinions in Austria are sufficiently secured, and on the other hand the largest possible number of employees can be retained in the industry,” says VÖZ managing director Gerald Grünberger.
Against this background, the union was suggested to “immediately enter into serious negotiations on the framework law, which also include collective bargaining,” said Grünberger. An agreement should be reached by mid-June 30, 2024. It was emphasized that the extension of the term of the current KV would initially not change anything for the individual employees.
The GPA union had previously sharply criticized the termination of the collective agreement by the VÖZ. This “affront” will “further exacerbate the newspaper crisis and is not a concept for the future,” emphasized GPA chairwoman Barbara Teiber in a broadcast on Tuesday. The termination was made without prior discussions. “The difficult situation facing newspaper companies cannot and will not be overcome on the backs of their colleagues,” said Eike-Clemens Kullmann, chairman of the journalists’ union in the GPA, calling for the termination to be revoked. He spoke out in favor of “orderly negotiations”. “Insisting on KV termination would be a breach of social partnership and the VÖZ’s final swan song for the entire industry.”
Katzian: “Parameters of social partnership not taken into account”
Criticism also came from ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian. With its approach, the VÖZ did not take into account the parameters for social partnership (“dialogue, eye level and – particularly important – respect”). “This is also surprising because I generally know the VÖZ as a partner in the fight of the unions and media for the central elements of democracy, namely freedom of the press and freedom of trade unions.” However, he assumes that “the last word has not yet been spoken, that the VÖZ will withdraw this termination and seek dialogue on an equal level with the necessary respect.”
Ertl fears salary losses
Werner Ertl, chairman of the electronic media section in younion _ The Daseinsunion, described the VÖZ’s move as “completely unacceptable”. He fears salary losses for journalists. “The impending devaluation of journalism will affect all media.” SPÖ media spokeswoman Muna Duzdar emphasized in a broadcast that the difficult situation in the print media “must not be carried out on the backs of the employees”. In this context, she also sees the government as having a duty, as the situation in the industry is also “the result of the turquoise-green failure in media policy.”
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