Crisis summit in Vienna: Mahrer under fire – trust lost!

Crisis summit in Vienna: Mahrer under fire – trust lost!

Chamber of Commerce President Harald Mahrer is in the firing line because of his failed salary plans. Critics from within his own ranks accuse him of poor communication, which has significantly damaged trust in the leadership of the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ). A crisis summit with representatives from the WK countries and Mahrer is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Vienna, with almost all presidents expected to take part. Tyrol's WK President Barbara Thaler expresses her dissatisfaction with Mahrer's behavior and describes his communication as a "disaster" and a personal setback for the organization. However, despite her criticism of the communication, she has no concerns about the numbers themselves.

Her Upper Austrian counterpart, Doris Hummer, described Mahrer's approach as “dilettantish communication”. She also expressed understanding for the fundamentally fair salary adjustment, but sees the timing of the announcement as wrong. She points out that functional compensation is still 30 percent below the maximum limit. Mahrer himself has admitted errors in the debate about salary adjustments for WKÖ employees and assured that there will be no increase in salaries for top chamberlains next year.

Criticism and solutions

As part of its crisis summit, the first approaches to solutions emerge. While Mahrer emphasized that he wanted to stick to the salary adjustment system, he was open to discussions about it. However, a reduction in the chamber's fees or a resignation by Mahrer himself are out of the question for him. He had previously spoken of a reduction in the salary increase for employees, but later qualified these comments. For the first half of 2026, he assured that there will be no increase, while an increase of 4.2 percent is expected for the second half of the year.

In a much different context is the 2024 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team, which struggled through a challenging year under the leadership of Dave Clawson. The team competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and was not always convincing. Their home games were played at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. On December 16, 2024, Clawson announced that he would be stepping down as coach after his eleventh year and taking on an advisory role. His successor, Jake Dickert, was confirmed on December 18, 2024.

Match results and statistics

The 2024 season featured some memorable games, including a spectacular win against NC State that ended 34-30. The performances of key players such as Hank Bachmeier and Demond Claiborne also contributed to the momentum of the season:

Finally, health challenges are also discussed, such as Crouzon syndrome, which affects the development of the skull and facial parts and is caused by genetic changes in the FGFR2 gene. Possible complications are varied and range from breathing problems to dental and hearing problems to intellectual disabilities, which fortunately rarely occur.

At first glance, the topics seem divided, but they are united by a deeper context: both economic and health challenges place high demands on those affected and require understanding and solutions.

Further information on these topics can be found at vienna.at, Wikipedia and Cleveland Clinic.