Formerly in retirement: nurses celebrate recognition as a heavy worker!

Formerly in retirement: nurses celebrate recognition as a heavy worker!

The Austrian federal government plans a fundamental reform to improve working conditions in the care sector. A significant measure provides for nursing professions as difficult work, which could enable employees to retire earlier, possibly from the age of 60. This decision is expected to be implemented before the summer of 2025, as 5min.at

The coalition parties ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS have given a clear declaration of intent in the government program. Ingrid Korosec, President of the Austrian Senior Association, supports this initiative and sees the recognition of nursing professions as an important step towards respect and appreciation for the work of the nursing staff.

Details on heavy work regulation

The prerequisites for a heavy work pension include the completion of the age of 60, at least 120 heavy work months within the last 240 months before the pension and a total of 540 insurance months. Further conditions are the lack of compulsory insurance in pension insurance and an income that does not exceed the minor limit. In addition, there may be no agricultural or forestry businesses with a unit value of more than 2,400 euros, and public mandates may comprise a maximum of EUR 5,550.92 per month.

The initiative for recognizing nursing professions as difficult work does not come as a surprise. Unions such as the Göd Health Union and Younion-Team Health have long pointed out this problem. According to the working atmosphere index, 60% of employees in the nursing sector feel heavily burdened, which indicates the challenges in their everyday work. The pressure due to lack of personnel, shift work and psychological stress is enormous. New Zeit emphasizes that only 38% of the under 40 year olds and 44% of the over 40 years of faith to hold out until the pension.

a step in the right direction

The planned reform is considered an important step to improve working conditions in healthcare. In November 2023, the Carinthian state parliament unanimously supported an application that demands the calculation of heavy working hours on an hourly basis. This affects more than 150,000 people in the medical-technical service. In view of the fact that an additional 70,000 nursing staff will be needed by 2050, it is crucial to make the profession more attractive.

The current regulations in the pension system disadvantage the nursing professions, since pension insurance decides whether the heavy working hours are counted. Unions have therefore required the expansion of recognition to all health professions, which could ensure urgently needed change. Many nursing staff under the age of 35 have already stated that they no longer want to work in their current job. The legal recognition of nursing professions as difficult work could therefore give a decisive impulse to improve the personnel situation in the nursing sector and to appreciate the valuable work of the nursing staff.