SPÖ Legislative Agenda

Why the SPÖ, of all parties, wants us to work more

Minister Korinna Schumann aims to relieve the strained budget for the labor market, social affairs, and pensions by having more workers put in extra hours.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Sozialministerium, stock.adobe.com)

This comes as a surprise: of all parties, the trade union-aligned SPÖ wants us to work more. Social Affairs Minister Korinna Schumann plans to enshrine the “right to increased working hours” in law. Krone+ has the background.

We need to work more, is the refrain we keep hearing from business circles and, to some extent, from politicians as well. That the SPÖ, of all parties, is now calling for a right to work longer hours comes as something of a surprise. The background is the strained situation on the Austrian labor market—as well as the budget for social services and pensions, which is groaning under the pressure of austerity measures.