Over 42 million unpaid overtime: a nightmare for workers!

Over 42 million unpaid overtime: a nightmare for workers!

Salzburg, Österreich - In 2023, over 42 million overtime hours in Austria did not lead to a corresponding remuneration for the employees. According to the surveys of the Chamber of Labor, these hours remain unpaid overtime. This not only results in financial losses for the employees, but also has a negative effect on the public funds, since wage taxes and social contributions are lost. ÖGB state chairman Peter Eder criticizes this misery as "wage robbery at the expense of employees" and calls for changes in the world of work.

An example illustrates the dilemma: A service employee in the hospitality industry was refused to compensate for 147 overtime after her termination. After legal support, she ultimately received 5,500 euros. The situation was similar to a Hungarian cleaner who worked for up to 19 hours a day in the two -week layer system. After a comparison, she received an additional payment of 12,000 euros. These cases show how important it is to protect employee rights and to ensure unrestricted work control.

financial impact of unpaid overtime

In Salzburg it was found that there are about 2.5 million overtime not paid overtime, which corresponds to a wage loss of 136 million euros for employees. This situation highlights the economic effects of unpaid over -work and its influence on state finance. Efficient recording of working hours could help here.

The Federal Labor Court made an important judgment on the acquisition of work on September 20, 2022. Employers are therefore obliged to systematically record the working hours of their employees. This judgment is based on an understanding of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Section 3 (2) No. 1) in conjunction with the EU Directive 2003/88/EC. These legal framework could help improve the situation of employees.

strengths the rights of employees

employers are not only obliged to take occupational safety measures that ensure the safety and health of the employees, but also to check and adapt the effectiveness of these measures. The European Court of Justice sees it as an obligation for employers to comply with working hours and create a functioning time recording system. Without such a system, it is difficult to objectively determine the actual working hours, overtime and their distribution.

The problem in Austria is underpinned by the surveys of Chamber of Labor , where the massive loss of wage is discussed by unpaid overtime. In this coherent context it becomes clear that a reformed handling of working hours may be decisive for the improvement of the living and working conditions of millions of workers.

For more information and details about the effects of unpaid overtime and legal approaches to enforce claims, see also Kosmo and Anwalt.de .