Cancellation of the fifth round of negotiations on a new collective agreement – Employers’ higher offer rejected – Chief negotiator Stöger warns against “writing bad checks”
Vienna (OTS) – Berthold Stöger describes the employee representatives’ demands for excessively high wage and salary demands in the negotiations on a new collective agreement for the Austrian chemical industry as damaging to the location. Stöger is the employer negotiator in the Austrian Chemical Industry Association (FCIO). “It’s like writing bad checks and giving away more than you earned.
He appeals to the union: “Don’t close your eyes to the economic reality. Compensating for the exceptionally high inflation cannot be automatic. We can only distribute what was previously earned by the companies.
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And Berthold Stöger continues: “Threats to strike will not get us anywhere and will harm everyone involved in what is already a difficult economic situation. Solutions are found at the negotiating table
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Above all, there is no understanding for the fact that the unions rejected a new, higher offer from business in the fifth round and broke off today’s negotiations prematurely. The employers offer a socially staggered degree with an increase of 5.8 percent for incomes up to €4,000. Higher incomes, which are affected by inflation to a much lesser extent, would receive a slightly lower percentage increase. For decades, the chemical industry has been one of the employers with the best-paying jobs for its approximately 50,000 employees and is one of the front runners when it comes to bonuses and allowances. The chemistry degrees of the past two years alone have brought employees a total increase of 15.3 percent.
The lack of demand is increasingly having an economic impact. “This also needs to be taken into account in collective bargaining negotiations,” says employer chief negotiator Stöger. “The poor order situation in the chemical industry is a fact and unfortunately continues. After a production decline of 10.4 percent in the previous year, incoming orders continue to decline
“, remembers Berthold Stöger. The predictions of economic researchers – such as the WIFO economic forecast for 2024 and ’25 – also speak of “headwinds” that will “keep Austria’s economy close to stagnation” in 2024. In addition, our country is currently one of the negative leaders in Europe when it comes to the increase in (unit) labor costs.
The chemical industry’s collective bargaining negotiations will continue on June 6, 2024.
About the FCIO:
The Austrian Chemical Industry Association (FCIO) is the legal representation of the interests of the chemical industry in Austria. The approximately 240 member companies produce pharmaceuticals, plastics and plastic products, fibers, paints, fertilizers and organic and inorganic chemicals in various sectors. The industry’s almost 50,000 employees produced goods worth over 20.8 billion euros in 2022. The FCIO is committed to an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable and attractive chemical location in Austria with a research and technology-friendly environment in which the chemical industry can use its innovative strength to develop and deliver solutions to key social challenges. www.fcio.at
Questions & Contact:
FCIO Association of the Austrian Chemical Industry
Dorothea Pritz
+43(0)5 90 900-3364
pritz@fcio.at
www.fcio.at