Union in the spotlight

Wage dispute escalates: “We will only negotiate if …”

Expensive products, poor working conditions? A fierce battle is raging between employers and employees in the tourism industry.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

"An industry that charges €8.70 for a cappuccino ...": Trade unionist Roman Hebenstreit's criticism of tourism companies is not only causing discontent: it could also cause wage negotiations to fail before they have even begun. In the "Krone" newspaper, employers are now setting conditions – and providing a fact check on Hebenstreit's accusations.

"Strict controls," "tougher sanctions," and "seals of approval for companies that record working hours correctly": Roman Hebenstreit recently put pressure on employers in the hotel and restaurant industry with tough demands, launching an all-out attack against employers in the industry: "Arguing for a wage increase of €8.70 for a cappuccino is not enough," thundered the union representative – just before the start of collective bargaining negotiations. These were then put on hold.

After a few days of shock, the industry is now preparing to strike back: According to industry representatives Georg Imlauer (hotel industry) and Alois Rainer (catering industry), they are still available for negotiations. But only if "blanket assumptions about the industry are refrained from and negotiations are based on mutual respect again." Behind closed doors, the word is: no apology from the union, no negotiations.

De-escalation? Five accusations, five responses
To "make this step easier" for employers, they are now responding to Hebenstreit's individual accusations:

The two employer representatives, Rainer and Imlauer, are sitting down ...(Bild: APA/JAKOB LANGWIESER)

... with trade unionist Roman Hebenstreit (left).(Bild: vida)

Vorwurf 1

„Gütesiegel für redliche Betriebe“

"These protective mechanisms already exist. Hotels and restaurants are subject to clear and strict legal framework conditions, including legally defined penalties," say the employers. Among other things, they refer to food and hygiene laws, commercial, tax, and labor laws, and building and fire safety regulations—all of which are also monitored.

Vorwurf 2

„Unbezahlte Überstunden“

"Figures from the Chamber of Labor, which were collected for all industries throughout Austria, are presented by Roman Hebenstreit as relating purely to tourism," Rainer and Imlauer accuse the trade unionist. This is simplistic and damaging to their reputation.

Vorwurf 3

„Respektlosigkeit“

No fact check, but an observation: social partnership thrives – "especially in sensitive negotiations" – on mutual respect and reliability: "Mr. Hebenstreit's choice of words and tone do not reflect this."

Vorwurf 4

„Höhere Preise, aber keine höheren Löhne“

"We don't know where Roman Hebenstreit conducts his price surveys. The fact is that individual prices from isolated cases are not a suitable yardstick for an overall assessment of an industry. With his statements, extreme individual cases are once again being generalized to create a distorted overall picture of the industry." Employers refer to data from Statistics Austria showing that minimum wages in the industry have risen the most in comparison, at 27.1 percent in four years, and that the increase has always been above inflation. A survey of 600 companies also found that 90 percent of companies do not pass on price increases, or only do so to a limited extent.

Vorwurf 5

„Arbeitsbedingungen verbessern sich nicht“

Finally, Imlauer and Rainer refer to the new framework collective agreement, which has been in force since 2024. This agreement addresses and implements numerous concerns raised by employees.

Over 200,000 people work in the hotel and restaurant industry in Austria. For them, a quick return to the negotiating table would be desirable in times of inflation. For now, it looks like this will happen in March at the earliest. So there is plenty of time to return to treating each other with respect...