Scandal over zero wage round: State politicians defend themselves against Kickl!

Scandal over zero wage round: State politicians defend themselves against Kickl!

Amid turbulent political turmoil and the recent government issues between the NEOS and the Greens, an unexpected trend is emerging: there will be a zero pay round for federal politicians in 2025. According to reports from today.at and the The press The question now is how countries will react to this difficult issue. While FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl is urging that state politicians should also follow this measure, there is resistance within his own party. The Salzburg state party leader Marlene Svazek made it clear that she would not allow herself to be degraded by a “bad conscience” because she stuck to a regular salary.

The NEOS see themselves as particularly under pressure after the failure of the Austro traffic light. In a public Twitter statement, the NEOS parliamentary group criticized the Greens for their actions, which only led to the strengthening of the FPÖ while the country was staggering into an even bigger budget hole. NEOS club deputy chairman Nikolaus Scherak accused the Greens of arrogance and irresponsible budget policy, while Health Minister Rauch blamed the crises. The political chaos and mismanagement have further fueled the situation, and the possibility of a new grand coalition between the ÖVP and SPÖ is now being discussed.

The states are breaking with the federal government

The federal states are divided on the zero wage round. While Styria considers an adjustment in salaries for state politicians to be illegitimate, Salzburg is following its own agreements, which is seen as a setback across the political landscape. The unequal treatment of the salaries of state and federal politicians, which is criticized by both the FPÖ and the Greens, points to a skewed pyramid: many politicians in the states earn relatively more. Hubert Sickinger, party finance expert, noted that measures like these could result in salaries in the states falling sharply. It therefore remains to be seen how the case will develop until the last meeting of the National Council on Wednesday.