Red all-round attack

Muchitsch confident of victory: “SPÖ already in the middle”

Muchitsch sees the SPÖ as broadly positioned.(Bild: APA/Roland Schlager)

SPÖ grandee Josef Muchitsch apparently sees his party in an excellent position ahead of the National Council elections. "Everything is possible", said the social spokesman and red trade union leader on Tuesday. The SPÖ is "closer" to first place than all the polls had predicted.

Unlike his Styrian state party leader Anton Lang, Muchitsch did not see the party as being too left-wing: "We are in the middle." The SPÖ would address "all the big issues that affect people", said Muchitsch. He mentioned affordable living, pensions, working hours and housing, for example.

"Only 75,000 votes behind"
"Logically", the Styrian said at the start of the "FSG Summer Tour" in Innsbruck, referring to federal party leader Andreas Babler. In view of "only 2.2 percent or 75,000 votes behind" (in the EU election to the FPÖ, note) and "2.8 million non-voters", the SPÖ has every chance, emphasized the social spokesman, who has also been critical of Babler in the past.

According to the latter, there is no paper between Babler and Muchitsch.(Bild: APA/Roland Schlager)

Closing ranks with Babler
Muchitsch vehemently denied any kind of "secret plan", according to which Babler would allegedly no longer play a role in the event of a coalition with the ÖVP. "I can rule out the possibility that this paper exists. If such a paper is presented by a political competitor, then it is certainly incredibly truthful and credible," Muchitsch said flippantly.

In terms of content, the member of the National Council once again propagated the four-day week, combined with a reduction in working hours. However, he did not want this to be understood as a coalition condition: "I think it would be a huge mistake to junket anything."

Reduction in working hours "can no longer be stopped"
In the business world, he certainly saw a willingness to implement such measures and to establish them through company agreements, individual agreements or collective agreements. A reduction in working hours is necessary and "unstoppable - in those areas where it is possible and affordable".

In view of the tight budget situation, Muchitsch called for a "cash fall". He did not want austerity packages, but "duplications" could be looked at. The FSG leader also advocated that workers in the care and health sectors should be included in the heavy labor ordinance. In terms of pensions, he saw a "need to catch up" on the actual retirement age, but rejected a statutory increase.