The big interview

Will you let AUA crash, Mr. Hebenstreit?

Roman Hebenstreit, Chairman of VIDA (Transport and Services Union)(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

A brutal labor dispute has been raging at the airline AUA for months, including warning strikes. On the front line: trade unionist Roman Hebenstreit (53). He talks to Conny Bischofberger about money and greed, rules for tough negotiations and the danger of escalation.

Saturday morning, Café Goldegg in Vienna's fourth district fills up quickly and is soon full to capacity. It was no coincidence that Roman Hebenstreit suggested the Art Nouveau jewel as a meeting place for the Krone interview. "For me, it's one of the most beautiful coffee houses in Vienna because it has a bit of patina and isn't so chic," he says, sipping his espresso. "It was also a meeting place for railroad workers in the resistance during the Nazi regime."

Railroad worker Roman Hebenstreit comes to Café Goldegg, where railroad workers met to resist during the Nazi era.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)