The implementation of new EU guidelines for property power, for which the National Council has already spoken out unanimously, also happened today Federal Council without voting against. ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS had the changes to the Motor Act, the Working Hours Act and the Work -The Restrict Act with a Proposal application launched. The Federal Councilor and Federal Councilors hope for a fair competition in freight transport on the street and more traffic safety.
The provisions on steering and rest periods in property power as well as the use of tripwriters who are now uniformly regulated across the EU have been implemented in Austria for a long time. However, the corresponding legal texts did not yet contain the corresponding references to the current versions of the relevant EU regulations and EU guidelines, which means that the EU requirements were not yet fully implemented by Austria. A violation procedure initiated by the EU Commission can now be ended with the amendment.
SPÖ: Fair working conditions for the transport industry
Bernadette Kerschler (SPÖ/ST) saw the increase in security on Austria’s streets as a central point of the changes in the law. Unfortunately, the accident statistics show an increasing number of severe truck accidents. Especially in the case of rear -end collisions, pressure, time crossings and the resulting fatigue of the drivers are often: the cause of the accident inside. It therefore advocated implementing the provisions about the steering and rest periods in the sense of increasing traffic safety.
Sebastian Forstner (SPÖ/O) said that it is more than just about formal changes in the law, it is about real protection for those people who keep the economy going every day. It should be emphasized that with the implementation of the EU directive, the provisions also apply to relatives of third countries. This will take another step for the creation of safe and fair working conditions on Austria’s streets.
ÖVP: Novelle creates legal certainty for transport industry
The EU provisions, which are now also formally implemented, are intended to ensure fair competition on the street and to hold social dumping, also led to New Year’s Eve Gfrerer (ÖVP/S). Today’s decision creates the necessary legal certainty for an important area of the economy, namely the transport industry. A large part of the transport of goods still takes place on the street by truck. For the people who perform these important activities, it is important that they find good working conditions.
The Upper Austrian ÖVP Federal Councilor Bernhard Ruf pointed out that the fact that truck drivers are checked: a high number of violations of the work and rest period regulations were regularly found inside. The question of competition in freight transport in the EU would also need further regulations, for example in the area of the cabotage, the Federal Council said. Ruf appealed to the planned setting of branch lanes in Upper Austria. He hoped that there would be no quick shots, but the federal government with the country would enter into discussions about a good solution for the affected regions.
FPÖ: Approval despite doubts about the practical implementation of the rest period controls
Safety on the streets and humane working conditions for employees in the important truck transport industry have top priority, said Michael Bernard (FPÖ/N). His fraction therefore agreed with the regulations. However, it still remains unclear for him how proof of compliance with the weekly rest periods can be provided in practice. The experts of the Ministry of Transport could not have given any satisfactory answers in the Federal Council’s transport committee.
Bernard subsequently spoke of a “traffic disaster in the eastern region”, for which he blamed the policy of former transport minister Leonore Gewessler. Now the next minister is in office that is delayed by construction projects, said Bernard. He called for Transport Minister Hanke to implement the ÖBB framework plan and the planned road projects from ASFINAG without drawbacks.
Greens are committed to climatic and regional trains
Elisabeth Kittl (Greens/W) said the service providers: Inside in truck traffic, a large extent came from the countries of Eastern Europe. They would very often have to work under precarious and even unreasonable conditions. The reason is the strong competition in freight transport industry. In her view, transport policy must tackle the causes and do everything to shift freight traffic to rail. Unfortunately, the federal government’s traffic policy in the wrong direction and promotes individual car traffic again instead of public transport. Kittl brought in a resolution of the Greens, in which she asked the Minister of Transport to keep the climate and not to be more expensive beyond the index adjustment. The application did not find a majority.
Marco Schreuder (Greens/W) took up the topic of regional trains. Austria has broken down the road network and hundreds of kilometers of rail network in recent decades. Only Federal Minister Gewessler had this trend the other way round. Now, however, the Mühlkreisbahn, the Almtalbahn and the Hausruckbahn in Upper Austria as well as the thermal rack in Styria are under discussion. The state parliament of the two federal states would work for the secondary lanes. To support this attitude, Schreuder brought in a motion for a resolution, in which the Greens call for talks from the federal and state governments for the preservation and expansion of the regional trains. The application, like the Greens’ application to subject it to a name, did not find a majority.
Hanke: Working conditions and traffic safety are common concerns
Transport Minister Peter Hanke was pleased with the joint resolution in the Federal Council. This shows that good working conditions in freight traffic and traffic safety on Austria’s streets are an important and cross -party concern. On the traffic policy issues mentioned in the debate, Hanke said that he was of course on the continuation of the climate goat and the further expansion of the rail infrastructure. However, it also believes that the expansion of the road network is necessary. (Continued Federal Council) Sox
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