Progress in the collective agreement: better wages and working conditions for bus drivers!

Progress in the collective agreement: better wages and working conditions for bus drivers!

In a significant progress for bus drivers: Inside in Austria, the unions Vida and the Chamber of Commerce Austria (WKÖ) have negotiated a new collective agreement. This was done as part of the fifth round of negotiations, in which working conditions for around 12,000 employees in private bus companies such as Postbus and Dr. Richard goes. Anil Zümrüt, the negotiating director of VIDA, announced that the agreement provides for a real wage increase of 3.6 percent from January 1, 2025, as well as an promised increase in wages in accordance with inflation from January 1, 2026. According to ots.at, in particular, a diet increase of 14 percent over two years is obtained.

The progress in improving working conditions is particularly noteworthy. For example, the night work surcharge of two hours is expanded and the predictability of leisure is to be improved. Markus Petritsch, the chairman of the Straße area near Vida, expressed that these new conditions could make the job more attractive and help to fix the personnel. The union also thanks the supporters of the alliance "We drive together", including the climate protection organizations of Fridays for Future, who also work for better working conditions and more staff. This is regarded as essential for attractive and climate-friendly public transport, as well as from Gruene.Berlin

Need for improvements

The situation is not only limited to Austria. In Germany, almost 20,000 employees of Berliner Verkehr (BVG) and the Berlin transport company (BT) are fighting under similarly challenging conditions. There, massive strengthening of local public transport is required to make mobility safe, affordable and climate -friendly for all people. The extreme workload and the lack of personnel often lead to stress and disease stands, which further exacerbates the situation. In this context, the current collective bargaining is of central importance in order to improve fundamental working conditions and to raise the staff.

The nationwide mobilization of #wiring together, which unites employees, unions and climate activists, makes it clear that the expansion of the environmental association and the creation of safe working conditions must go hand in hand. This is the only way to counteract the impending standstill in public transport and the urgently needed switch to sustainable mobility.