Linz (OTS) – At 40.8 hours, Austrian full-time employees work excessively long hours compared to other European countries. In addition, Austrian employees were deprived of around 1.3 billion euros in wages for extra hours and overtime in the previous year. The demands of the industrial association for a 41-hour week as regular working hours without wage compensation are therefore a mockery for many. “Instead of such absurd suggestions, which mean nothing other than free work, there needs to be tangible consequences if wages for extra hours and overtime are not paid. It is also important to abolish the short expiry periods for many claims
“, says AK President Andreas Stangl.
In view of the demands of the industrial association, it is important to point out some facts in the working time debate. Since people regularly work beyond the normal working hours regulated by law (40 hours) or collective agreement (e.g. 38.5 hours), employees have actually been working an average of 41 hours for years.
Austria’s full-time employees also achieved an enormous amount last year. With an average of 40.8 hours including overtime, they are third in Europe after Cyprus and Sweden in terms of weekly working hours (source: Eurostat). This is also confirmed by a look at the graphic below.
1.3 billion euros not paid for overtime
The expansion of the tax exemption limit for overtime for 2024 and 2025 is apparently not enough for the industry. While there was previously no tax on the surcharges for the first ten hours of overtime per month (maximum 86 euros), the government has expanded this tax advantage for 2024 and 2025 to 18 hours and a maximum of 200 euros. Now the industry also wants to extend the “normal” full-time working hours, thus reducing the basic hourly wage and capping overtime bonuses. “These considerations mean a complete loss of wages and time
“, says AK President Stangl angrily. Especially when you consider that in 2023 more than a quarter of overtime and additional hours were not compensated in terms of time or money. This corresponds to around 1.3 billion euros in withheld payments.
With the legally possible maximum working hours per week of 60 hours enforced by the black-blue government in 2018, Austria currently occupies the inglorious first place (together with Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark).
Short expiry periods harm employees
Unpaid claims such as wages, salaries or overtime generally expire after three years. However, sunset clauses aim to shorten this statutory limitation period. It therefore often happens that overtime that has been worked but not paid can no longer be claimed after just a few months if payment was not requested in writing in a timely manner. Employees lose many entitlements due to short expiry periods. Employees lose money as a result. The AK Upper Austria therefore calls for the abolition of such expiration periods so that a three-year limitation period applies to claims arising from an employment relationship, analogous to the General Civil Code (ABGB).
Questions & Contact:
Chamber of Labor Upper Austria – Communication
Mag. Dominik Bittendorfer
+43 (0)664-82 37 978
dominik.bittendorfer@akooe.at
ooe.arbeiterkammer.at