Decision on Negotiations Over Civil Servants' Salaries Still Open
There was no major breakthrough in the first round of talks between the government and the union on civil servants' salaries. As the chairman of the public service union, Eckehard Quin, announced after the approximately 3.5-hour session, they will now go to the committees to decide whether to enter into negotiations. The government representatives expressed hope that the union would decide in favor of negotiations.
Government Appeals for Willingness to Negotiate
The talks are considered extremely delicate, as the coalition plans to reopen the agreement for next year. It was planned that public employees would receive an increase of 0.3 percentage points above inflation next year, which would be around 3.3 percent. To settle the figures without dispute, as is customary in civil servant negotiations, Wifo's head, Gabriel Felbermayr, was brought into the talks on Tuesday.
Civil Service State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP) stated afterwards that his approach is to face the harsh reality. Therefore, he hopes that in light of the budgetary situation, the union will enter into negotiations. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) also made a "request" to the staff representatives to decide in favor of negotiations. Today's discussion was very good and open. NEOS negotiator Martina von Künsberg Sarre made a similar statement, emphasizing constructive negotiations but also the need for a "societal-wide effort."
The union, led by Quin and the chairman of younion, which represents municipal employees, Christian Meidlinger, did not reveal their strategy. The GÖD chairman did not say whether he would propose to his committees to start formal negotiations. They will jointly evaluate the figures and data presented today and then decide. He indicated the likely timeframe for this decision would be the end of next week.
No Official Offer – But Clear Signals
Quin emphasized that during the discussions, there was an understanding of each side's position. There was no formal offer from the government. However, it is understood that the coalition's ideas were made quite clear. No figures were publicly mentioned.
The difficult situation has its roots in the previous year, when the union agreed to a settlement of 3.5 percent for 2025, which is 0.3 percentage points below inflation, but secured a legal assurance that this loss would be compensated next year. Now, the government needs money and is appealing to the union to contribute to budget consolidation. To clarify: an increase of one percent for civil servants is estimated to cost around 190 million euros.
Quin Fears "Nothing at All"
The government's leverage is that the budget plans for 2027 and 2028 each include a zero wage increase. Marterbauer recently suggested that they could accommodate the union in those two years if the union agrees to reopen the package for 2026. When asked if he feared zero wage increases, Quin said that if he were a fearful person, he would not have taken on the leadership of the public service union: "I fear nothing at all."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.