Pressure to Save at ORF: Moderate Salary Agreement and Zero Pay Raise for Top Earners

The election of Heinz Lederer as ORF Foundation Board Chairman and Gregor Schütze as Deputy, which took place in June, was confirmed on Thursday in a meeting of the highest ORF body. The step was taken to ensure legal security. Meanwhile, ORF management and the works council have agreed on a salary settlement. The increase is 1.85 percent in 2026 and 1.4 percent in 2027. Top earners are excluded, for whom there will be a zero salary round.

Confirmations as a Precautionary Measure

The ORF Foundation Board wants to reconfirm all decisions already made in the current period as a precautionary measure. The background is that in the election of representatives from the ORF Audience Council for the ORF Foundation Board, two people voted who later resigned their mandate due to suspicion of incompatibility. They were or are active in ÖVP sub-organizations. According to the ORF law, people with political functions are not allowed to take a seat in the ORF bodies.

FPÖ Motion for New Election Rejected

The confirmation of Lederer and Schütze took place with two dissenting votes from Peter Westenthaler and Christoph Urtz - both sent by the FPÖ. A motion by Westenthaler for a new election by secret ballot was not allowed by Lederer, citing the ORF law.

Zero Salary Round for Top Earners at ORF

The board of trustees has also approved the salary agreement negotiated by management and the works council for two years. According to a letter from the central works council, aside from the salary increases of 1.85 percent (2026) and 1.4 percent (2027), one-time payments of 400 euros (2025 and 2026) have also been agreed upon.

However, top earners will miss out. The top two salary levels 17 and 18, as well as all individuals who earn more than 170,000 euros gross per year including allowances and thus appear on the legally required, annually published transparency list, are to be excluded from the salary increase.

The central works council sees the agreement as "another contribution by the workforce to the preservation of our company" after "many years of saving and cutting back." However, it represents a "noticeable burden." Nevertheless, a relatively balanced package is in place that does not upset the social structure within the organization and secures jobs in the long term. "The ORF, with its highly privileged form of financing, has the task of proceeding with moderation in salary agreements," said Gregor Schütze, the ORF board member appointed by the ÖVP, recently.

Pressure to Save at ORF

In general, for the thousands of ORF employees, there have always been extremely moderate salary agreements in recent years compared to other sectors, which is also related to the pressure to save that weighs on ORF. Around 100 million euros must be saved by 2026. According to the financial plan, a balanced budget is targeted.

(APA/Red)

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