Start collective negotiations: wage increases for 60,000 employees!

Start collective negotiations: wage increases for 60,000 employees!

On March 21, 2025, the Pro-Ge and GPA unions began the collective agreement negotiations for the approximately 60,000 employees of the Austrian electrical and electronics industry. Negotiations are being made to react to the continued effects of the inflation crisis, including increasing energy prices. "The workers still put a massive impact on the effects. That is why permanent wage and salary increases, especially for low income, are in the foreground," said chief negotiators Reinhold Binder (Pro-GE) and Karl Dürtscher (GPA) according to a report on ots.at .

Details on the claims

The unions require noticeable increases in wages and an adaptation of the layer allowances: for the second layer, this should increase to 1.50 euros per hour, while the third layer is to be remunerated at 5 euros per hour. Furthermore, new regulations for the anniversary allowance and simplified accessibility of the sixth holiday week are being sought. There are also efforts to continue the so -called leisure option, which was introduced in 2016, to enable employees more flexibility in working hours.

At the same time, an agreement was reached in the metal industry, as reported wko.at . The negotiations on October 31, 2024 led to a two-year financial statements with an increase in the actual wages by 4.30 percent and KV wages by 3.80 percent from January 1, 2025. The apprenticeship income should also increase by 3.80 percent, whereby the training reward for the first three years of apprenticeship is supported separately during this period to promote the acceptance of environmentally friendly mobility.

These basic wage increases and adjustments to working conditions show the efforts of the unions to meet the needs of employees in times of increasing living costs. The events in the electrical and electronics industry as well as in the metal industry will be of great importance in the coming months, while the negotiations are continuous.