Fight for fair wages: Bus drivers defend themselves against employer demands!

Fight for fair wages: Bus drivers defend themselves against employer demands!

The collective bargaining negotiations for the 12,000 employees of the private bus companies were broken off in the first round without any result. Now those affected have to wait until the next round of negotiations on January 24, 2025. This was announced by Markus Petritsch, chairman of the road department in the vida union, and Anil Zümrüt, head of the vida KV negotiation team. In this first round of negotiations, the union demanded a fair wage increase of 4 percent to offset inflation and strengthen purchasing power. The wage increase of just 3.2 percent offered by the employer was rejected as inadequate, especially since inflation is now at 3.5 percent. Further suggestions from employers, such as reducing the Christmas bonus by 30 percent, were met with outrage because this was justified by the lower wages of bus drivers in neighboring countries, said the angry Zümrüt.

Demands to improve working conditions

The vida union has also made it clear that the working conditions for bus drivers urgently need to be improved in order to counteract the staff shortage in the industry. Petritsch emphasizes that the working hours are excessively long, often lasting up to 15 hours at a time, and that night and weekend work comes without additional compensation. Employees suffer from high workloads and insecure working conditions, which leads to a decline in employee satisfaction. The union is also calling for allowances for night work and a cap on unpaid rest breaks of a maximum of one hour in order to make the industry more attractive for new entrants.

A positive aspect for companies could be the increase in the receivables ratio, which affects the financial situation. It describes the ratio of receivables to a company's total assets. An increase in the receivables ratio can indicate increased sales, but also brings with it the risk that late payments will put a strain on liquidity. It is essential that companies find a healthy balance between receivables ratio and customer payment behavior in order to maintain a stable financial base World of business administration explained.