Part-Time Debate Divides ÖVP
The background is the proposal by SPÖ Labor Minister Korinna Schumann, according to which part-time employees should have the right to increase their working hours if they regularly work overtime. ÖVP General Secretary Nico Marchetti expressed openness to this in "ZiB 2" on Sunday evening, thereby contradicting ÖVP Economic Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer.
ÖVP General Secretary Contradicts Minister
If one is employed part-time and regularly works more, one should eventually have the right to increase hours if it is not offered automatically, said Marchetti. With this, he deviated from the line of ÖVP Economic Minister Hattmannsdorfer, who had described a legal entitlement two weeks ago as "not feasible" and "not part of the government program." Hattmannsdorfer instead wants to discuss freezing the marginal employment threshold.
When asked what the ÖVP's stance on the legal entitlement to full-time employment is, a written statement from the ÖVP now says: All proposals that contribute to increasing working hours and performance should be discussed. An effective solution can only be found in agreement with the social partners.
Marchetti reiterated in "ZiB 2" that it is not fair for full-time employees to have to co-finance social benefits for people without caregiving responsibilities who work part-time and could do more. During the election campaign, the ÖVP also called for a full-time bonus as an incentive to work more. Many projects are subject to budget constraints, said Marchetti, but they still have priority.
NEOS Warn: Surcharges Disappear with Increase
Criticism comes from the third coalition partner NEOS. Member of Parliament Johannes Gasser stated in the "Mittagsjournal" that a legal right to full-time employment could cause several problems in practical implementation. Moreover, it is questionable whether an increase would be worthwhile for employees, as a 25 percent surcharge is paid for overtime in part-time work, which would disappear with a higher normal working time. The NEOS instead advocate for a reduction in taxes and levies on work.
Despite slight movement in the ÖVP, an agreement in the three-party coalition is not foreseeable. While SPÖ and ÖVP discuss different ways to expand working hours, the NEOS rely on tax policy incentives.
The Greens have also recently spoken in favor of a right for part-time employees to increase to full-time if they regularly work overtime. For the FPÖ, however, it is a pseudo-debate within the government - economic spokeswoman Barbara Kolm had called for more performance incentives and a "fair and simple tax system."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.