GPA Chief Negotiator Karl Dürtscher is dead

Dürtscher had been the federal managing director since 2018 and negotiated over 170 collective agreements, most recently those for the metal and electronics industries. Dürtscher was 64 years old. Dürtscher was the GPA's chief negotiator in the metal industry as well as in other industrial sectors. The GPA pointed out that Dürtscher had shaped working life in the republic with the negotiations surrounding the Corona short-time work. Collective agreement policy was his passion, for which he showed tireless commitment until the end, it was stated in the press release about his death.

Karl Dürtscher: Trade Unionist "with Handshake Quality"

"With Karl Dürtscher, we lose a dear friend, experienced colleague, and upright trade unionist," emphasized Barbara Teiber, chairwoman of the GPA union. "The Austrian social partnership loses a reliable and committed negotiator who shaped it for years." Reinhold Binder, chairman of the PRO-GE union, also expressed his sorrow over the death of the "trade unionist with handshake quality." For Josef Muchitsch, the federal chairman of the Construction-Wood union, Dürtscher was "someone you could rely on, especially when things got difficult." "With him, we lose a great, passionate trade unionist, he will leave a huge gap," noted ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian about "Charlie" Dürtscher, who was also a member of the ÖGB board. Not only the Social Democrats but also AUGE/UG - Alternative, Green, and Independent Trade Unionists reacted to Dürtscher's passing "with great dismay."

"Charly Dürtscher was a trade unionist through and through," said AK President Renate Anderl, deeply affected. "His commitment, perseverance, and prudence will be sorely missed." Between 2006 and 2009, Dürtscher also advocated for the concerns of employees on the board of the AK Vienna - he was a member of the Committee for Work and Labor Market until the end. "With Karl Dürtscher, we lose a convinced trade unionist and upright Social Democrat, whose values and principled loyalty will remain guiding for us," stated Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and SPÖ federal manager Klaus Seltenheim.

Respected Negotiation Partner

The employer side also pays respect to the unionist: "With Charly Dürtscher, the Austrian social partnership loses one of its most outstanding representatives on the employee side," stated Sigi Menz, Chairman of the Federal Division of Industry in the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ), and Division Manager Andreas Mörk. "What distinguished him was his reliability. For Karl Dürtscher, it was not just a word, but a lived practice in everyday life." Even though there were often tough substantive disputes and discussions with him, "it was particularly important to him that one could still look each other in the eye afterwards," added the WKÖ in a statement. But the Metal Technology Industry Association also got to know Dürtscher "as a reliable, fair, and open partner in our negotiations," emphasized the Chairman of the Association, Christian Knill, - even though Dürtscher proved to be a tough negotiator. The Association of the Electrical and Electronics Industry (FEEI) lost with Dürtscher "a long-standing constructive and solution-oriented representative of the Austrian social partnership," said FEEI Chairman Wolfgang Hesoun. "His commitment - even in very difficult times - was impressive."

Similarly, WKÖ Trade Chairman Rainer Trefelik characterized the opponent in numerous collective bargaining negotiations: "Tough in negotiations, but what was agreed upon was upheld," said Trefelik according to a statement. The Association of Austrian Newspapers (VÖZ) and the Austrian Magazine and Trade Media Association (ÖZV) were also affected by the death of the unionist. "With him, the social partners lose an experienced and prudent unionist, to whom the newspaper and magazine industry was a personal concern," stated VÖZ and ÖZV Managing Director Gerald Grünberger.

Commitment to the AUVA

In addition to his work with the union, Dürtscher shaped the General Accident Insurance Institution (AUVA) as Chairman of the Supervisory Assembly and as a member of the Board of Directors, noted AUVA Chairman Mario Watz. "His commitment to the AUVA and the common cause will be missed," added AUVA Director General Alexander Bernart.

Dürtscher was born in 1961 in Schruns, Vorarlberg. After his apprenticeship at Vorarlberger Illwerke, he was an employee at Vorarlberger Zementwerke AG. In 1985, he moved to the Union of Private Employees in Vienna. As a unionist, he also held various positions in social insurance and was a chamber councilor in the Vienna Chamber of Labor from 1996.

(APA/Red)

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