Austria: Continuation of pay bargaining round in metalworking and mining industry: inacceptable offers from the employers’ side

On 18 October the second round of negotiations over a new collective agreement, affecting about 119.000 blue collar and 74.000 white collar workers in the Austrian metalworking and mining sector, ended without any tangible result in the early evening hours. As already in the first round on 8 October the final agreement on a common pay system for blue and white collar workers was the crucial point on the agenda and caused the deadlock. The concessions for introducing a new common system, put forward by the employers, were refused by our joint negotiating team. Notwithstanding the negative employers’ attitude, in breach of earlier made promises back in 1992 to accomplish full equal rights for blue collar workers also in term of remuneration till 2000, we will continue to pursue our aim of a new modernised pay system, guaranteeing equality, more codetermination rights for works’ councils related to remuneration at plant level and better chances for job promotion.

Employers’ demands regarding working time: In compensation for their acceptance of a new pay system the employers demanded far reaching changes in working times, involving:

• Extension of normal daily working time from 8 to 10 hours

• A general extension of normal working time to 48 hours, affecting all working time schemes

• A weekly working time for shiftwork of 56 hours

• A capping of a 25% overtime compensation for overtime work within the framework of the collectively agreed “extended bandwidth” working time, providing for a flexible distribution of working time up to 52 hours

Joint assemblies and meetings at plant level On 19 October GMT and GPA held meetings and assemblies in plants to inform works council members about the current situation and determine further steps and actions.

Next bargaining round The negotiations will be resumed on 29 October 2004.
The international department will keep you informed about the outcome of the next round of negotiations.