FPÖ, Greens and NEOS Demand Broad Zero Wage Round for Politicians

According to the Court of Audit, the statutory adjustment factor for politicians' salaries will be 4.6 percent in 2025. A change requires a National Council resolution. The turquoise-green coalition is planning a zero wage round for top politicians, including the Federal President, the government and the President of the National Council. National and Federal Councils should receive half of the adjustment factor. The states decide for themselves about the adjustment at the state level.

Negotiations between clubs on zero wage round for politicians underway

However, with the election at the end of September, the majority conditions in the National Council have changed, ÖVP and Greens no longer have a majority. Therefore, an agreement between other or more factions is necessary to decide on a solution in the last National Council session this year. What that looks like remained open for the time being on Sunday. Negotiations were underway, several clubs reported to APA on request.

It can be assumed that the zero wage round announced in the summer will not be watered down, but rather expanded. The negotiators of a new government of ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS are also currently busy tying up a billion-dollar austerity package due to the huge budget hole. The NEOS would view a complete zero wage round for all federal politicians positively, it was said to APA.

Greens for zero wage round also for deputies and state governments

And the Greens are now going further than in the summer: In an interview with APA, the acting club chairwoman Sigrid Maurer called for a zero wage round also for the deputies in the National Council and the Federal Council, as well as for state governors and state councillors. They advocate that top politicians make their own contribution in difficult times with a zero wage round. "However, it is unacceptable that the states should not be covered by such a solution", because some state governors now earn more than the ministers or the vice chancellor, "this in no way corresponds to the political responsibility associated with the office", Maurer argued.

"In the past, the ÖVP and SPÖ operated on the principle of hope that the federal states would suspend their increases themselves. In fact, the opposite has happened: while the federal government suspended the increases, the states have unabashedly paid out their increases," criticised Maurer. To prevent this from happening this time, the Greens are announcing a motion for the budget committee tomorrow Monday, which also includes the state governments. "This is the acid test for the ÖVP, SPÖ and Freedom Party."

Kickl sees Zero Wage Round as "Commandment of Justice"

The Freedom Party - the strongest faction since the election, but not part of the coalition negotiators - are demanding a complete zero wage round. They want to introduce a motion in the National Council on Wednesday for a zero wage round for the salaries of politicians at federal and state level (including state parliamentarians) as well as top managers of companies with public participation for 2025, as FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl announced on Sunday in a press release. This would be "a sign of solidarity with the Austrians", "a commandment of the hour and of justice".

This is not about a devaluation of political offices or mandates, "but about a measure with symbolic effect in the sense of closing the gap between the population and the political class, which is necessary," Kickl said. "In times of recession, it is inappropriate for the political system to grant itself generous salary increases." Kickl also called for a reform of the adjustment regulation. Due to different increases, the actual salaries have become a patchwork quilt contrary to the original intention of the salary pyramid.

The issue of a zero wage round for politicians is not uncontroversial within the FPÖ. Kickl had also demanded such a thing last year for top politicians at the state level. However, his governing state parties in Salzburg and Upper Austria did not follow this and decided to adjust their own salaries according to the then proposal of the federal government to inflation. Maurer called the position of the Freedom Party "hypocritical".

(APA/Red)

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