Vida union demands higher wages in upcoming Austrian negotiations

Roman Hebenstreit, head of the vida union, is calling for ‘decent’ collective bargaining agreements during the upcoming autumn wage round starting in October. He argues that real wages have declined since 2019, noting a 0.8 percent decrease overall, with sharper drops in the gastronomy and manufacturing sectors.

Negotiations with the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ) will cover sectors including bus and rail transport, retail, logistics, cleaning, and private security. Hebenstreit criticized previous ‘crisis agreements’ for making employees poorer without lowering the cost of living, noting that recent retail wage settlements fell below the rolling inflation rate, which stands at over three percent.

Additionally, the union leader criticized a shortage of apprenticeships, citing data from the Public Employment Service (AMS) that shows significantly more job seekers than available training positions. He accused some companies of relying on seasonal foreign labor rather than investing in domestic vocational training.