Economic Chamber of Austria: New hope for 24-hour supervisor: inside!

Economic Chamber of Austria: New hope for 24-hour supervisor: inside!

We are facing a long overdue measure: The Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) and the related association unjong have announced that they will set up a fund to support social security contributions for 24-hour carers. This is a response to years of criticism from vidaflex, a union initiative for one-person companies, which points out that the WKÖ has long ignored the problem of inadequate remuneration and social security benefits for carers. Michael Fedorcio, General Secretary of vidaflex, was critical of the WKÖ's delayed response and emphasized the urgency of improving employer conditions for these vital professional groups, especially in view of the growing personnel shortage with up to 8,000 supervisors missing.

Inadequate measures and necessary reforms

While the establishment of the fund is a positive first step, vidaflex is calling for fundamental reforms to address the high social security contributions and low pensions that prevent many carers from working in Austria. Fedorcio warns that the current situation is jeopardizing care provision for thousands of people. vidaflex urges the WKÖ and unjong to think beyond superficial measures and find real, long-term solutions. To achieve this, the Secretary General of unjong, Bibiana Kudziova, could send a clear message through membership of vidaflex and fight together for the rights of carers, which would also provide access to important services such as legal protection insurance.

According to an analysis of the WKÖ on the tax and tax burdens, it can be seen that Austria has one of the highest part-time rates in Europe, which is due to the domestic tax and delivery system, among other things. The system favors part -time forces by not giving them the necessary incentives to switch to full -time employment, which in turn further restricts the availability of specialists, as they are urgently needed in care. Over 30 % of workers are employed part -time, which has a negative impact on the general economy and competitiveness of Austria. These aspects illustrate the need for a comprehensive reform policy in order to offer care and care facilities the necessary resources and incentives in order to be able to exist in international competition, as the WKÖ describes in its current analysis.