After WKÖ Salary Increase: Industrialist Against Contribution Payments
"Perhaps it is time for the Chamber to finally feel what the rest of the country has long been hearing: the warning shot," it says in a statement also reported by the "Krone". The former board member of Pierer Industrie and head of Remus criticizes that the WKÖ does not take the current economic situation seriously enough. He expresses negativity towards the salary increases and calls on entrepreneurs to temporarily suspend Chamber levies 1 and 2. He hopes "that 100 Austrian companies will follow Remus's example and stop transferring these funds. If the WKÖ loses sight of its mission, it may need to relearn it," says Zöchling.
SPÖ Criticizes "Double Standards" After WKÖ Salary Increase
The SPÖ also expressed outrage on Tuesday. The Chamber has "apparently lost all sense of proportion," it preaches "water and drinks wine." "Because demanding wage restraint from everyone else at every opportunity and then granting themselves a hefty salary increase in the middle of the crisis (...) shows detachment and double standards," said federal manager Klaus Seltenheim in a statement. FPÖ, NEOS, and the Greens had previously expressed similar criticism.
WKÖ Salary Increase Receives Rare Praise from the Union
In contrast, the union vida drew attention with rare praise towards the Chamber of Commerce: "I expressly welcome the Chamber of Commerce's and its president's change of thinking," said vida head Roman Hebenstreit. "Wage restraint and loss of purchasing power cannot be a solution - we have always said that as a union. If the Chamber of Commerce now agrees to a 4.2 percent increase for its own employees, it is a clear commitment that there can be no economic recovery without proper wage increases."
WKÖ: Salary Increases Relatively Low in Long-Term Comparison
The Chamber of Commerce itself argues that this year's salary increase of 4.2 percent is delayed and strongly oriented towards the collective bargaining agreements of companies last year, "to best reflect the realities of member companies." Last year, the collective bargaining agreements ranged from 5.4 percent to 9.2 percent. The annual salary increases for WKÖ employees are also significantly lower in long-term comparison than in the private sector or public service, according to the WKÖ. This so-called "factor increase" is not the result of negotiations but a formula that considers inflation and the wage index. This calculation formula was unanimously approved by all factions in the WKÖ presidium in 2024, according to the Chamber.
(APA/Red)
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