Initially, negotiating circles with the APA said that there were efforts on both sides, good discussions and a convergence of positions. Ultimately it wasn’t enough and the negotiations were broken off that evening. The union then announced warning strikes from November 30th to December 3rd, the GPA said in a press release.
While the employers originally offered a salary increase of 5 percent and a one-off payment of 800 euros for the 430,000 retail employees, they have now improved this to 6 percent and a one-off cost-of-living bonus of 1,000 euros. This corresponds to a gross increase of 12.02 percent for lower incomes and an increase of 10.05 percent for higher incomes, according to the federal trade division of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) in a press release in the evening. The GPA union reduced its original demand to 9.4 percent and a fixed amount of 15 euros.
There is already strike clearance from the ÖGB
“No one benefits from strikes in the Christmas business except third-country traders, which in turn weakens the social systems and the national economy,” admitted trade association managing director Rainer Will in a statement on Tuesday. The union must take into account the economic reality and the challenges in trade, said Will.
“The fact that the employers did not take up our offer for a socially graded qualification, which would have increased the lower salary groups more, shows how far they are from the reality of life of their own employees,” countered the GPA’s chief negotiator, Helga Fichtinger. There is already a strike clearance from the ÖGB.
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