48,000 Euro back payment: Linz company did not pay automation technician salary for 4 months

The company then transferred him almost 16,000 euros net without a salary statement. However, as this did not cover the entire outstanding amount, the man turned to the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor (AK).

The man had been employed as an automation technician at the company for around twelve years. For four months he put up with his boss not paying him his salary, then he lost his temper. He demanded that the employer pay him the outstanding salary and gave him a deadline of just under two weeks. If this deadline expired, he would be justified in leaving his employment contract early, said the AK member.

No pay slip

After the deadline had passed, the employee did what he had announced: he legitimately resigned early. One week later, his former employer paid him back almost 16,000 euros net. The technician was unclear about how this amount was made up, partly because he had not received a pay slip.

He contacted the Chamber of Labor and had his claims recalculated. In addition to the outstanding salary payments, there were also outstanding allowances, daily allowances, dirt and assembly allowances, overtime, vacation pay and special payments. In addition, there was a claim for compensation in the form of severance pay until the next possible termination date by the employer – because the employee had legitimately left the employment relationship due to withheld wage claims.

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The AK demanded that the company pay all outstanding amounts, minus the net payment already received. The company did not want to take legal action and paid everything back: a total of almost 48,000 euros gross.

“Companies repeatedly try not to pay their employees. Probably because the worst thing that can happen to them is having to pay back the outstanding claims,” ​​says AK President Andreas Stangl.