Union Interrupts Negotiations on Social Economy Collective Agreement

The collective agreement negotiations in the social economy were interrupted on Thursday in the second round by the unions GPA and vida. This followed the receipt of the employer's offer of 2.5 percent over two years, as the unions announced in the evening. They now want to "significantly" increase the pressure through company meetings and demonstrations.

Criticism from the Union

The employers' offer corresponds to an increase of only 1.25 percent per year. This is "insufficient and not a basis for further negotiations today," explained GPA negotiator Eva Scherz: "We will now convene company meetings nationwide, inform the employees, and make precautionary strike resolutions. In addition, there will be demonstrations in public spaces. We will not be satisfied with handouts, the work in care, health, and the social sector is worth more." The union had already demanded a salary increase of four percent for the coming year in the first round of negotiations in October.

Michaela Guglberger, negotiator for vida, saw it similarly. "The employers' offer is massively below the inflation rate. The idea that the social sector, which is still desperately seeking staff and has tens of thousands of positions advertised, can function sustainably without adjusting salaries to inflation is absurd," she said.

On the employer side, no one was initially available for comment for the APA. Employer chief negotiator Yvonne Hochsteiner from "Sozialwirtschaft Österreich - Association of Austrian Social and Health Companies" (SWÖ) has always referred to the difficult framework conditions given the massively restricted financial leeway. Ahead of the second round, the employer side reiterated their position and simultaneously expressed clear criticism of politics: The current cuts at the federal and state levels would "massively put pressure on" the entire social and care sector and endanger supply security, it was said in a statement.

Further Negotiations on Social Economy Collective Agreement

The next round of negotiations for the 130,000 employees in the private health, social, and care sector will take place on November 27, 2025, according to the union. The new collective agreement is to apply from January 1, 2026.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.