Wage increases for 8,000 paper workers: Success of the unions!

Wage increases for 8,000 paper workers: Success of the unions!

In the paper industry in Austria, there is positive news for the employees. Like 5min.at , around 8,000 workers and employees benefit from an increase in wages and salaries, which comes into effect in retrospect from May 1, 2025. The collective agreement, which was achieved on May 19, 2025 in the fourth round of negotiations, is a significant success for the unions GPA and PRO-GE. The unions were originally afraid of a zero-wage round, but a fixed increase was achieved by pressure from the companies.

The new collective contracts provide for an increase in minimum wages and salaries and apprenticeship income by 2.65 percent. Depending on the 2024 operating result, the actual wages and salaries are also increased by up to 2.65 percent. There are also improvements in allowances and travel allowances that were achieved as part of the negotiations.

challenges in the collective agreement

The negotiations for the collective agreement were challenging because the industry has not been able to record any significant growth in recent years. As industriemagazin.at reports, the degree in the industry and occurs on March 1, 2025 for a term of 12 months. In view of the economic situation and the challenges, including high labor costs, a compromise was achieved that takes into account the recession and inflation.

Walter Kogler, chairman of the paper industry's economic sector in the GPA union, emphasizes the steadfastness of the employees. Werner Leitner, Federal Department Chairman of the Pro-Ge trade union, describes this conclusion as a social partnership compromise that reflects the interests of employees.

insight into wage development

The tariff index is also important for the classification of wages in this context. According to statistik.at , the tariff index 16 (TLI 16) serves to measure the minimum wage development in Austria. This index is based on selected wage and salary positions and is regularly updated to document changes in the minimum wages specified in the collective agreement. The TLI 16 is therefore an important evaluation criterion for wage and salary negotiations and reflects the general economic situation.