After solution, the end after all?

Great trepidation about the future of job projects

After protests last year against the impending end of the exemplary Eibetex project in Waidhofen an der Thaya, there is now renewed trepidation.(Bild: René Denk)

Six AMS projects have been severely cut. It is said that they are no longer viable in their current form. Time is running out for new funding pots, but these will only be available if funding commitments from the previous funding bodies are fixed. The solution actually found with project developers could therefore not work.

More than 4300 signatures were collected for the Waldviertel work and social project Eibetex and have now been handed over to AMS director Sandra Kern by FSG district head Andreas Hitz and SPÖ national councillor Rudolf Silvan.

Projects of great importance for the country
"Those people who cannot make it on their own should continue to be given a future in dignity," the two emphasize. Hitz now hopes that the AMS is finally aware of the great importance of such projects in rural areas.

Much shortened version starts on October 1
Kern emphasizes the constructive exchange with the social partners: "We agree that there must be both a needs-based distribution and development of offers". The project will continue to fund ten transit jobs from October 1. The President of the Provincial Parliament, Gottfried Waldhäusl (FPÖ) - who is trying to obtain funding - criticizes the fact that Eibetex will not be supported in its old form until the end of the year. We know from experience that subsidies usually start at the beginning of the year.

Eibetex Managing Director Martina Schmid, FSG District Chairman Andreas Hitz and SPÖ National Councillor Rudolf Silvan handed over 4306 signatures to AMS Head Sandra Kern in support of the labor market project.(Bild: SPÖ)

Urgent commitment required from AMS
"The AMS funding commitment must also be made by mid-May at the latest so that the EU project Reallabor can be launched," he said, calling on the AMS to secure the necessary funds for six work projects in the Waldviertel and Weinviertel regions. The state will continue to co-finance the projects on a pro rata basis, as Labor Market Minister Susanne Rosenkranz had already assured. 

Are projects now facing the end after all?
The response from the AMS now comes as a surprise: the EU funds cannot be accessed via the AMS, and the real-world laboratory is expected to take a year to prepare! The projects are required to implement new concepts. However, this could mean the end for some.