Confidential Documents

Red Union Distances Itself from SPÖ Leader Babler

A snapshot from better days: In 2024, the SPÖ under Muchitsch and Babler still had slightly better poll numbers.(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Nothing remains secret in the SPÖ these days—and perhaps soon, no stone will be left unturned? The “Krone” was able to view a PowerPoint presentation given in early September by the powerful union leader Beppo Muchitsch. In the slides, he emphasizes that SPÖ leader Andreas Babler is “unelectable for many” and, under the heading “What needs to be done?,” calls for a “personnel realignment.” 

Confidentiality is sometimes a matter of definition. Whenever SPÖ leader Andreas Babler currently has something to discuss discreetly with his government team, he can count on one thing: it will quickly become public. This was most recently evident at the party’s “crisis summit” on Wednesday. The SPÖ’s handling of this says a lot about its current state.

A new revelation is likely to further fuel the momentum. The “Krone” has obtained photos of a PowerPoint presentation by the powerful union leader Beppo Muchitsch. This is hardly the kind of support one would expect for Babler.

“People aren’t listening to us anymore”
On September 8, Muchitsch delivered a “political report” to the Social Democratic Trade Unionists’ faction within the Construction and Woodworkers’ Union. In his presentation, he analyzed various polls. His conclusion: “The SPÖ is suffering from a loss of trust,” while the FPÖ, ÖVP, and NEOS are dismantling the welfare state—“more private sector, less government.” It is also revealing to see what consequences this loss of trust is believed to have within the union group: “People aren’t listening to us anymore. For many, Babler is not a viable candidate. Issues are therefore secondary,” the analysis states bluntly.

“What is to be done?” is therefore the question posed on Muchitsch’s penultimate slide. The answer in four points: better communication, fewer and more concrete issues, a vision for the future—and a “personnel realignment.” An unmistakable jab at Babler, who is already fighting for his political life. After all, alongside Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig, the red trade unionists have so far been considered his stronghold within the party.

Babler “Unelectable” for Those Who Think Differently
The “Krone” confronted the union leader—whom many see as the next head of the ÖGB or the Chamber of Labor—with these points. “Internal discussions naturally revolve around the question of how we will win the election in 2029. Honest discussions without taboos about policies and individuals are part of this—nothing unusual, a process that takes place in every party,” he explains. Babler polarizes and, with his stance against those who think differently, is “not electable.”

However, the main reason not to vote for the SPÖ is the poor image the party projects when its members publicly “take shots at one another.” Muchitsch himself called for internal debate on the last slide of his presentation.