Bus Drivers: Warning of Wage Dumping Due to Red-White-Red Card

The accusation from the vida union: Employers are opting for a "Red-White-Red Card with wage dumping" instead of better working conditions. The collective bargaining conflict affects 12,000 employees in private bus companies.

According to vida, the talks have been ongoing for two years, and recently, employers presented a "sham package." The minimal improvements offered in some areas are offset by massive deteriorations in others. "Employees would have to largely finance the demanded relief themselves, even though there is an acute need for personnel," criticizes vida.

In response, WKÖ industry chairman Martin Horvath pointed out on Thursday that they had already made significant concessions to the employees. The offer of a 3.5 percent income increase would correspond to the rolling inflation.

vida: Remove Bus Drivers from the Shortage Occupation List

Speaking to journalists, Yvonne Rychly, deputy chairwoman of vida Vienna, emphasized: "Employers obviously prefer to rely on exploitable drivers with Red-White-Red Cards from outside the EU and wage dumping, instead of making the industry more attractive." She demands that bus drivers be removed from the shortage occupation list. Rychly reminded that up to 5,000 drivers would be missing in Vienna over the next five years. For Horvath, the accusation of wage dumping is incomprehensible, as the collective agreement applies to every employee, including those from third countries.

vida demands a 3.7 percent wage increase plus a "real" improvement in the collective agreement framework. "It's mainly about deductions due to work-related breaks, night work, and relief measures so that one can really do the job until retirement," said Susanne Haase, state managing director of the vida union Vienna. She accuses individual bus companies of investing too little in employee qualifications. "Instead, employers now prefer to have the driver's license training for colleagues financed through unemployment insurance at the expense of the general public," said vida on Thursday.

This, in turn, causes head-shaking for employer representative Horvath: "That's not true at all, it's the employee's personal driver's license." The driver needs it for starting work, and the license is not tied to the employer, Horvath emphasized in a conversation with APA.

Employee representative Haase calls on the future federal government to stop labor migration from third countries to the domestic labor market. "Employers use those affected only as a means of pressure on wages and working conditions," is the accusation. It was also recently criticized that some company meetings were disrupted by employers.

Collective Agreement Minimum Wage at 2,773 Euros Gross

WKÖ industry chairman Horvath recently emphasized that employers had put an offer of a 3.5 percent wage increase on the table. A new regulation of night work allowances from 11:00 PM to 12:00 AM in public transport was also offered. "In the last six years, we have increased the starting salary for newcomers by 45 percent," said Horvath. Currently, the collective agreement minimum wage for bus drivers is 2,773 euros gross per month.

According to Horvath, less than one percent of drivers are currently employed with Red-White-Red cards. He emphasized in a statement on Thursday that employers would cover the course costs for the mandatory 35-hour further training of bus drivers and would pay for the training as working time. Furthermore, unpaid rest breaks have been reduced.

ÖAMTC Points to Serious Accidents with Heavy Vehicles

The next collective agreement negotiation date is on February 17. "However, if another sham package is put on the negotiation table, then employees will hold a first warning strike on February 20, 2025," vida already warned in advance. So far, 60 company meetings and online appointments have taken place from the end of January until now.

The ÖAMTC today pointed to serious accidents involving trucks and calls for more controls for increased safety. "Unfortunately, the proportion of fatalities has been tending to rise again for years. Trucks over 3.5 tons were involved in only 3.6 percent of all traffic accidents in 2023, but accounted for 16.2 percent of fatal accidents, which is four and a half times as much," said ÖAMTC traffic engineer David Nosé.

(APA/Red)

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