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Bus drivers in distress: Vida union sounds the alarm!
On February 6, 2025, the vida Vienna union will provide information about the list of shortages and working conditions for bus drivers.
Bus drivers in distress: Vida union sounds the alarm!
On February 6, 2025, an important press conference by the vida union will take place in Vienna under the title “List of occupations in short supply: Trap for local bus drivers”. This is happening against the background that collective bargaining negotiations for the approximately 12,000 employees in private bus companies are stalling. Despite an acute shortage of personnel in the industry, employers, represented by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), are not very accommodating and refuse to significantly improve the working conditions of bus drivers. In any case, the industry relies on well-intentioned drivers with so-called red-white-red cards from abroad, which puts local bus drivers in a disadvantaged position. The union sees this tactic as a trap for workers and plans to inform the public about its demands and measures for improvement in a live broadcast, as also reported by APA-OTS.
Urgency of negotiations
In recent days, the union has held numerous company meetings to find opinions, which sent a clear message to employers: the employees' patience is running out. From January 30 to February 5, 2025, employees' voices were raised to stand ready for industrial action, indicating that they want to stand up for their rights and better conditions. The press conference will provide information about the results of these meetings and reveal what the future working situation of the bus drivers will be.
There will also be further collective bargaining negotiations in various sectors in October and November, including rail, retail and cleaning. As vida boss Roman Hebenstreit explained in advance, an adjustment to the rising cost of living is essential. “The current starting wages cannot keep up with inflation and the increased cost of living,” continued Hebenstreit. This topic will also be dealt with in depth at the upcoming press conference in order to demonstrate the urgency and extent of the challenges for employees in the coming negotiations, as the Chamber of Commerce also emphasizes.
Participants and interested media are welcome to attend, and a livestream option is also available to follow the discussion of key points and hear the demands directly.