National Council Fixed Zero Pay Round for Politicians and Civil Servants' Salaries

The National Council fixed the civil servant salaries for the next three years in its Friday session. While the Freedom Party did not agree and spoke of a scandal, State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP) saw a "historic" event. After all, the already decided conclusion could be successfully unraveled due to the need for savings. All parties also agreed on another zero salary round for top politicians.

In October, the union and the government agreed that civil servant salaries would not increase from January to the end of June 2026. In the period from July 2026 to July 2027, there will be an increase of 3.3 percent. From August 2027 to August 2028 and from September 2028 to the end of 2028, salaries will be increased by one percent each.

ÖVP speaks of "crisis conclusion"

All parties were not tired of praising the work of public service employees. They are the "backbone of our beautiful Austria," emphasized Romana Deckenbacher (ÖVP), head of the Christian Trade Unionists' faction. The conclusion is a viable compromise, but it can only be a "crisis conclusion," she said. "This is lived responsibility" as well as a sign of cooperation between the government, union, and social partnership, said SPÖ representative Muna Duzdar.

NEOS club chairman Yannick Shetty noted that his party was the only one not to agree to the original "irresponsible" salary conclusion. The adjustment was actually already decided at the end of 2024, and civil servants were to be paid 0.3 percent above inflation in 2026. The new decision is "simply necessary" in the country's economic policy situation and does not happen "out of malice" towards the civil servants.

Salary conclusion for FPÖ "actually a scandal"

Werner Herbert, chairman of the freedom-oriented AUF union, considers the agreement to be "miserable," saying it is "actually a scandal." He criticized the government, but also the Public Service Union (GÖD) - accusing them of betraying the interests of the employees. On a positive note, he highlighted that the loss of earnings for civil servants who are injured can be covered by the state if the perpetrator is incapacitated or on the run. This had also been a long-standing demand of the AUF.

The Greens have agreed. Wage negotiations are a matter for social partnership, said Green MP Markus Koza, "party politics should not interfere." He accused the FPÖ of being outraged over the salary agreement, while it is being adopted in the blue-black governed Styria.

All for Zero Pay Round

The zero pay round for politicians in the coming year is also the order of the day, according to Shetty and ÖVP MP Wolfgang Gerstl. Affected are the salaries of the Federal President, government members as well as state secretaries, members of the National Council and Federal Council, the President of the Court of Audit, and members of the Ombudsman Board.

However, the ÖVP and NEOS questioned whether there should continue to be zero pay rounds for top politicians in the future. Due to this practice, salaries have significantly lost value since the introduction of the salary pyramid in 1997, Gerstl argued. "In the long term, we have to consider what we are worth." Shetty also emphasized that politicians should be well compensated. In countries where this is not the case, "they fill their pockets in other ways."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.