Executive Branch to Cut Costs

Police Overtime Becomes a New Political Bombshell

Is the reform of police working hours heading in the wrong direction?(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

A delicate undertaking at the Ministry of the Interior under Gerhard Karner (ÖVP): On September 1, a trial run for the police’s new duty-time management system will begin. The opposition and labor unions warn of financial losses and worsening working conditions for officers. The ministry calls it a necessary modernization.

Both the Greens and the FPÖ strongly reject Karner’s plans. They argue that the new duty management system will not deliver the predictability and better work-life balance promised by the minister, but will instead result solely in annual budget savings of 50 to 60 million. In 2024, the Ministry of the Interior had a record year with 7.3 million hours of overtime, which resulted in costs of 417 million euros.

Ministry Denies Seeking Cost Savings
The ministry denies that overtime is being cut intentionally. The 2026 budget will carry over into 2027 and 2028. Therefore, there can be no talk of a budgetary cut to overtime.

“Overtime is worked where it is necessary for public safety and where operational circumstances require it. What matters is predictable and needs-based scheduling, not the preservation of existing systems and structures,” says Federal Police Director Michael Takács.

A battle over a shift schedule reform is raging within the Ministry of the Interior.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

Federal Police Director Michael Takács rejects the criticism.(Bild: Eva Manhart)

Greens Support Pay Reform Instead of Work Schedule Changes
Green Party security spokesperson Agnes Prammer warns of impendingsalary lossesdue to the elimination of overtime and allowances totaling up to 1,000 euros per month. Because up to 48 weekend hours will be counted toward regular working hours, civil servants will have to work more frequently (two to three weekends per month) in the future, but will not receive any additional pay for doing so.

In Vienna in particular, there are warnings that the model is impractical given current staffing levels and could lead to even more stress. The Greens are proposing a pay reform that would increase the base salary and ensure that fair compensation no longer depends on having to work overtime. In addition, allowances for standard duties must be abolished and incorporated into the base salary (executive allowance, hazard pay, etc.). Overall, this would result in an appropriate salary for active duty.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner is pushing through a reform “unnecessarily at the expense of police officers” that is not necessary at all, says Werner Herbert, the Freedom Party’s spokesperson for the public sector and a police union representative. The planned reform, by reducing overtime, would not only result in salary cuts for civil servants but also jeopardize operational readiness.

Der Fahrplan

Neues Dienstzeitmanagement

Am 1. September beginnt die Pilotphase für das neue Dienstzeitmanagement in den Bezirken Wien-Brigittenau, Gänserndorf, Linz, Bregenz und Leibnitz. Bis Ende 2026 werden die Ergebnisse erwartet, das Rollout soll dann schrittweise ab 2027 erfolgen.

Dienstzeiten sollen künftig auf maximal 13 Stunden am Stück begrenzt und 24-Stunden-Dienste abgeschafft werden.

“The new duty time management system is intended to create a uniform, modern, and predictable duty time system while simultaneously reconciling operational requirements with the interests of employees as best as possible,” the ministry counters. There will not be fewer police officers on the streets; rather, available personnel will be deployed more effectively in accordance with actual police needs.