AK Election 2024

Josef Pesserl: A strong voice

(Bild: FSG Steiermark)

Josef Pesserl, President of the Chamber of Labor, has been at the forefront of the fight for workers' rights for years. With an impressive review of successful initiatives and assertive measures, such as the recovery of 356 million euros for members and the implementation of over 15 million consultations, Josef Pesserl clearly shows how active and committed he is to his role. In an exclusive interview, he gives us an insight into his extensive experience and explains how he tackles the pressing challenges of the present and future.

Mr. President, when you take stock of the last five years - what is your conclusion? How does the Chamber of Labor help its members?
Josef Pesserl: Since 2019, we have provided 1.5 million consultations in areas such as labor law, consumer protection and education. We have obtained a total of 356 million euros for our members. We also had to bring more than 17,000 lawsuits to court, which were necessary to help our members achieve their claims.

Question: A major issue that has preoccupied people in recent years is inflation . ..
Josef Pesserl: With regard to inflation, unfortunately we have to realize that politicians have completely ignored our appeals to intervene in the prices of electricity and mineral oil as early as 2022. Because they did not intervene there, the prices of all other products and services have also exploded - as we predicted. And that has led to this incredible rate of inflation. This development is all the more annoying because these exorbitant increases have no objective justification. Profits have doubled for a few corporations, and this greed for profit is at the expense of everyone else: Commuters, households, businesses, associations.

(Bild: FSG Steiermark)

The billions in subsidies financed by taxpayers' money have not lowered prices, but have fueled inflation. Taxpayers' money has been used to subsidize the profits of a few energy and oil companies. And this in turn has led to wages and salaries rising in line with price increases in order to reduce the loss of mass purchasing power. It is not salary and wage increases that drive up prices, as is always falsely claimed, but the price increases necessitate an adequate increase in wages and salaries.

If it is now announced that the inflation rate is falling, then that is true - only this inflation is on top of the exorbitantly high prices compared to other countries. The burden on households and commuters is still there.

Question: How do you assess the current situation in areas such as care and childcare?
Josef Pesserl: There is a situation in childcare that is totally difficult for parents - because if they don't get a childcare place, parents have to reduce their hours to part-time or give up work altogether. And they do not receive unemployment benefit if they are not ready to work, which is not possible if they do not have a childcare place. This is a catastrophe for the parents concerned.

(Bild: FSG Steiermark)

As for the employees in the childcare facilities: the groups are too big, there are too many children in one group. As a result, employees are no longer able to look after the children adequately. This urgently needs to be changed by making the groups smaller. This is also very important for companies, as they are looking for workers - and people are kept from working. The care sector is also in a catastrophic state. Nursing staff are burning out because they are completely overwhelmed due to a lack of staff. The staffing ratio needs to be changed - more staff are needed in the facilities.

The same applies to certain areas in hospitals - there, too, employees are so overworked due to understaffing that they are unable to provide satisfactory care for sick people - this leads to psychological stress and, of course, despair. We expect politicians to take measures to ensure that these facilities are adequately staffed.

(Bild: FSG Steiermark)

Question: What will the working world of the future look like?
Josef Pesserl: One of the biggest challenges for the future will certainly be technological progress (keyword: artificial intelligence). On the one hand, there are great opportunities associated with technological progress; on the other hand, our common goal must be to align technology in such a way that it serves as support for people.

The Chamber of Labor election 2024 in Styria
Josef Pesserl is tirelessly campaigning for workers' rights, with a clear vision for a fair future. He demands that politicians finally act to address people's urgent needs.