Although the original offer of an increase in actual wages and salaries by 4.1 percent remains, there should be a profit-sharing bonus that could amount to up to 2.2 percent of the total wages and salaries. The employers see a gross KV increase of up to 6.3 percent and a “significantly improved offer”.
“However, the trade unions showed no willingness to move away from their exaggerated demands,” the employers said in a broadcast today. “The overall package offered would lead to a clear and real increase in the purchasing power of employees, since the employees have already been compensated for between 50 and 100 percent of the increased inflation through the federal government’s anti-inflation packages,” said Christian Knill, chairman of the Metal Technology Industry Association ( FMTI), with.
Unions: “Offer unacceptable”
However, for the PRO-GE and GPA unions, the employers’ offer is unacceptable. At around 400 works meetings with over 65,000 participants last week, clear strike decisions were already taken by the workforce. Now the trade unions PRO-GE and GPA are also getting permission to strike for the entire metal industry from the Austrian Trade Union Confederation (ÖGB), according to a broadcast by the employee representatives.
“Now it’s getting very serious. The next round with the FMTI will decide whether an industrial dispute is necessary. The offer from the employers is still 4.1 percent and is a mockery of the employees,” says the chief negotiator on the employee side, Rainer Wimmer (PRO -GE) and Karl Dürtscher (GPA).
The PRO-GE and GPA unions are demanding an increase of 10.6 percent and want to hold nationwide works meetings before the next negotiation date on November 3rd. Works meetings had already taken place before today’s round of negotiations. “We have not given up hope that employers will give in and finally admit that the last 12 months have been very successful,” said chief negotiator Rainer Wimmer (PRO-GE) today before the start of the talks.
Source: Nachrichten
