Because Austria's deficit is above the EU's Maastricht limit of three percent of GDP, ministries must save 15 percent on material expenses this year. However, not all departments need to be burdened equally, only the total amount is fixed, emphasized Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) on Wednesday. In any case, there will be no savings on security, assured Stocker, as did Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) the day before.

Police Fear Wave of Savings

Nevertheless, there is concern within the police about a larger wave of savings. The trigger for this is the recent measures by the Vienna State Police Directorate based on guidelines from Herrengasse. In a "service instruction" sent in February, the LPD leadership is instructed by the presidency to reduce flat-rate overtime by 30 percent and individually accounted overtime by 20 percent for their employees. Overtime on Sundays and public holidays is also to be combated. Until the final guidelines are issued, "the suspension/reduction" of additional services with a remuneration of 200 percent is "ordered with immediate effect," according to another paper sent just last week.

In addition, rewards - for example, for outstanding police performance - are to be "suspended," personnel measures are to be taken only "to the absolutely necessary extent," and summer interns are no longer to be accepted. Furthermore, ongoing construction projects are to be "re-evaluated under a prioritization," future construction projects "to be refrained from," and procurement purchases only to be made "if they are absolutely and immediately necessary for the service operation."

Ministry Refers to Budget

The Ministry of the Interior justified the guidelines to the APA with the budget provisional that automatically came into effect in public administration since January. In all ministries, "restrictive savings measures must be taken" as a federal budget law is still pending, was the tenor. Last year, no budget for 2025 could be presented.

The "current temporary precautionary measures" would mainly affect non-essential services or purchases. The top priority is to save "on material expenses." The "police service as a whole" remains unaffected by any measures for the population, a spokesperson relativized - "no savings at the expense of security and necessary personnel."

The ministry did not want to reveal more about the cuts in overtime in the federal capital. However, as soon as a new budget is in place, the financial situation for the ministries will automatically stabilize. In this case, "the currently temporarily necessary measures will be immediately re-evaluated and - ideally, if possible - reversed."

2.18 Million Overtime Hours at Vienna Police in 2024

In Vienna alone, the approximately 7,200 police officers accumulated 2.18 million overtime hours in 2024, according to the State Police Directorate. "The operation can only be maintained this way," explained Walter Strallhofer, chairman of the specialist committee of the police union in Vienna, from the FSG. The current measures further exacerbated the situation because now two officers are needed for a twelve-hour Sunday shift instead of one. This is because the law provides for a 200 percent compensation from the ninth hour on Sundays and public holidays. He is concerned that the recent steps are "only the beginning" of a larger austerity package for the police.

Similar sentiments are echoed by other staff representatives in the federal capital. "When colleagues start earning, they are sent home," said FCG representative Gerhard Zauner. The freedom-oriented AUF union stated that the "basic police" needs "more resources, not less," in light of recent events such as the attack in Villach. Werner Herbert, federal chairman of the blue union and also AUF state chief in Vienna, emphasized that he wonders "how such measures can be implemented with reduced overtime."

The head of the Vienna FPÖ, Dominik Nepp, declared on Wednesday via a press release that Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and Interior Minister Karner are driving "Vienna into a security emergency with their irresponsible police austerity package." The overtime cut endangers the safety of the population "massively" and is a "mockery" for the police. The Vienna ÖVP city party chairman Karl Mahrer promptly countered: "The Freedom Party is only interested in causing a ruckus and unsettling people," said Mahrer, himself a former state police commander of Vienna, referring to the statement from the Ministry of the Interior. Mahrer reiterated this sentiment in a response in the afternoon, but did not comment on the impact of the overtime cut in Vienna.

Union Federal Chairman Calls for Standardization

The federal chairman of the police union, Martin Heinzl (FCG), emphasized that austerity measures are "fundamentally rejected." "If such measures are deemed unavoidable by the employer, then clear regulations by the BMI would be desirable to achieve equality between the different federal states," said Heinzl. Otherwise, it only fuels "resentment and envy among colleagues in the various organizational units."

It is reported that the remaining eight state police directorates have already been asked to present their different austerity concepts. In Styria, police officers reported to the APA, among other things, that long-planned new acquisitions of vehicles or equipment have been postponed indefinitely. Behind closed doors, officers speak of a three-digit million sum that is to be saved nationwide in the Ministry of the Interior. The current developments could therefore only be a prelude "to what is yet to come," as it is said in police circles.

(APA/Red.)

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