Incorrect billing:

Worker was paid 6000 euros in arrears

Going to the Chamber of Labor is often very worthwhile.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

"Trust is good, control is better." The fact that it pays to have payroll documents checked by the Chamber of Labor was recently demonstrated once again in the case of a production employee in Vorarlberg. His employer had made several mistakes when calculating his severance pay following a mutually agreed termination.

Mr. S. had worked in the production department of a large industrial company in Vorarlberg for more than 30 years when he finally reached an agreement with his employer to terminate his employment by mutual consent. Part of this agreement was a voluntary severance payment of three gross monthly salaries, in addition to the statutory severance payment of twelve monthly salaries. A handsome sum, in other words - but Mr. S. would almost not have received it in full had it not been for AK Vorarlberg.

But luckily for him, Mr. S. presented the final statement to the labour law experts at AK Vorarlberg. And they found several errors in the calculation. "For example, the voluntary severance payment of over 10,000 euros gross was charged with the full current tax instead of six percent," reports AK labor law expert Andreas Kickl.

Particularly in the case of final settlements - especially with regard to special payments, vacation compensation, severance pay and similar points - you should always have us carry out an audit!

AK-Arbeitsrechtsexperte Andreas Kickl

In addition, the statutory severance pay was not calculated on the basis of the last salary. "Values from 2023 were used for the pro rata special payments, although the employment relationship only ended at the end of January 2024," criticizes Kickl. "The correct average shift allowances and other average remuneration components were also not used."

And last but not least, the correct average salary was also not used as the basis for the vacation allowance. Due to this conglomeration of errors, Mr. S. was ultimately paid 6,000 euros net in arrears. It is therefore worth taking a closer look: "Particularly in the case of final accounts - especially with regard to special payments, vacation pay, severance pay and similar points - you should always have us check them," recommends Kickl.