FPÖ Does Not Want to Accept Salary Increase for Chamber Leaders

AK President Renate Anderl stated that they accept his withdrawal, and the stability of the central bank is guaranteed with Vice President Ingrid Reischl. The FPÖ, on the other hand, demanded the retraction of all rumored salary increases for all Chamber of Commerce chiefs and their deputies, as well as Mahrer's withdrawal from the WKÖ.

FPÖ: Sunday meeting "just a gathering of ÖVP dignitaries"

FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz (FPÖ) said at a press conference on Monday that the meeting where Mahrer was given a vote of confidence on Sunday was not an official one. It was merely "a voluntary gathering of ÖVP dignitaries, not an official committee meeting of the Chamber of Commerce."

The Freedom Party is not concerned with the 4.2 percent by which the salaries of WKÖ employees are supposed to increase. It is about Mahrer's "21 percent" more and the salaries for state chiefs and deputies, which are supposed to increase "by 50 to partly 100 percent." Mahrer, along with the state representatives, insists on this while claiming to communicate openly and transparently. "This makes Mahrer untenable." The plans should be abandoned, demanded Schnedlitz. The WKÖ has so far justified the increases with previously years-long unimplemented raises.

Furthermore, Mahrer's withdrawal from the OeNB has nothing to do with this salary issue. Rather, Mahrer misused WKÖ infrastructure on Monday for his withdrawal statement from the central bank. "The double income is probably not quite so clean," Schnedlitz alluded to Mahrer's funds from WKÖ and OeNB, which the Court of Audit soon wanted to examine and which Mahrer defended as justified.

Anderl's statement on Mahrer's withdrawal from OeNB

In the overall context, it is particularly interesting from a social partnership perspective what the Chamber of Labor says about the issue. However, their President Anderl did not address the salary debate in a statement on Mahrer, focusing solely on his withdrawal from the National Bank (OeNB): "I accept the step of WKÖ President Mahrer's resignation from his position as President of the Austrian National Bank. The OeNB bears great responsibility for the Austrian economy. I am convinced that Ingrid Reischl, as a highly competent Vice President, will continue to guarantee stability in the National Bank," Anderl said in a statement to the APA on Monday.

(APA/Red)

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