By Marlene Lipard
die Hotel industry And Gastronomy A new structure will receive a two-year collective agreement starting May 1. The WKÖ trade associations and the vida Tourismus trade union presented this at a press conference on Tuesday.
Stronger, with better wages and working conditions Labor shortage Struggle in business. Berent DashThe head of the Vida trade union says: “Our common goal is to become more attractive compared to other industries, so we don't have to take people from other countries to work in the catering and hotel industries.”
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8 percent additional pay
For example, the aim is to make employees more attractive through higher wages. In 2024, the average wage increase in the industry will be 8 percent. This will happen in two steps: 6 percent on May 1 and another two percent in November. In 2025, wages will increase by this year's annual rate of inflation plus one percent.
From May 2025 the minimum wage will be 2,000 euros. From May 2024, apprentices will earn at least €1,000 in their first year of training. If you complete the final apprenticeship exam with excellent or good results when you first start, you will also receive an apprenticeship completion bonus of 250 or 200 euros.
Greater flexibility in working hours
In the future working time in the industry will need to be more flexible: the calculation period for part-time employees could be up to 26 weeks in the future and up to nine months for fixed-term employment contracts. Fixed-term contracts can be extended once every four weeks, as the end of the season often cannot be precisely planned.
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The observation period is extended from 17 to 26 weeks for an average maximum working time of 48 hours per week. This is especially beneficial for seasonal businesses with long seasons such as the Arlberg or Ischgl.
Regular Christmas bonus
In future, holiday and Christmas bonuses will be the same in all federal states, and employees will be entitled to twelve Sundays off a year. Night work allowance will also be standardised. It was previously available only to the hotel industry and catering. In future, it will also be offered to employees of other companies who work till midnight during weddings or Christmas parties.
The new framework collective agreement will apply to a total of 240,000 employees and about 6,460 apprentices across seven hospitality trainings. 76,000 hotels and restaurants are affected by the new structural collective agreement. “A collective agreement applies to all companies in an industry. This means that every company in this country can live and deal with agreed wage increases,” he said. Mario BulgerPresident of the Gastronomy Association at the WKÖ.
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Unemployment between seasons
More than 50 percent of hotels and restaurants in this country are seasonal businesses. Employees of these companies receive unemployment benefits at the end of the season before being rehired at the beginning of the following season. Bulger is well aware of this problem. “We tried to find a solution here in the form of working groups, but unfortunately we didn't succeed,” says Bulger. Not least because there are some employees in the industry who “like to go to work enjoying their free time between seasons.”
Dush sees it as a duty for politicians to act. It should create a comprehensive solution with bridging assistance.
