Combative tones

Civil servants’ union ready to renegotiate

Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (left) and State Secretary for Civil Servants Alexander Pröll at a round of talks on civil servants' salaries.(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

After there was no major breakthrough in the first round of talks on civil servants' salaries between the government and the union in mid-September, there was renewed movement in the matter on Thursday. As the public service union (GÖD) announced, the talks are now open. This will now be entered into "with an open mind". 

However, in a joint press release from the chairmen Eckehard Quin (GÖD) and Christian Meidlinger (younion), a combative tone was struck. The government's threat of zero wages in 2027 and 2028 is "unacceptable". The coalition was optimistic.

The increase for 2026 has actually already been determined, as the National Council already decreed last year that the adjustment should be 0.3 percent above inflation. That would be a sum of around 3.3 percent.

Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (left) and State Secretary for Civil Servants Alexander Pröll at a round of talks on civil servants' salaries.(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Indirect threat of zero wage rounds
For budgetary reasons, however, the government is pushing for the decision to be amended and is indirectly threatening zero pay rounds in the following two years if no agreement is reached this year. An initial exploration last week had not yet produced any results. The two trade unions in charge of the negotiations met internally until Thursday to discuss how to proceed.

The aim is to find viable and fair solutions, write Quin and Meidlinger. Both unions emphasize that only the negotiations will show what offers the employer side will present and that these will be critically examined.

Union ready for "alternative solutions"
Quin called the announced zero wage rounds for 2027 and 2028 "deeply unfair and completely unacceptable". However, the union is prepared to "talk about alternative solutions". Willingness to talk should not be confused with compliance: "We are entering these negotiations with an open mind."

The only decisive factor is what benefits a salary agreement would bring for all colleagues, emphasized Meidlinger, who is responsible for municipal employees as the head of younion. Unilaterally terminating an agreement that has already been reached is out of the question. Such interventions would jeopardize the foundations of the social partnership.

Optimism from the government
The government reacted positively to the announcement. It deserves great recognition that the social partners are taking responsibility in these economically challenging times and thus doing the right thing for Austria, wrote State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP). Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) also said that he was optimistic about the upcoming negotiations.