Harald Mahrer resigns "soon" as OeNB President

He will still set up the process for an orderly handover, but the resignation will occur "sooner rather than later," Mahrer said to journalists on Monday. Mahrer will remain President of the Chamber of Commerce and head of the ÖVP sub-organization Wirtschaftsbund. In the chamber, he now wants to restructure the salary increases for employees and have the Court of Audit examine the functionary salaries.

His departure from the OeNB is not about the salary, even though the accumulation of salaries was heavily criticized, but about focusing on his role in the WKÖ, where his attention "is noticeably needed most urgently." He does not want to "do things halfway" and wants to be a strong voice for the economy. Mahrer was heavily criticized because, in addition to his salaries as President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (15,158 euros/month) and Wirtschaftsbund head (6,000 euros/month), he also received an expense allowance as OeNB President (7,330 euros/month). In his first term in this office, he had waived it.

Chamber Levy May Be Reduced Later

In response to questions about reducing the chamber levy, Mahrer referred to a reduction of 30 million euros at the beginning of 2024. It is also not ruled out "that we will take such a step again," but the previous reform is still being processed. The repeatedly criticized reserves in the billions are partially earmarked, "this is not money that can just be spent."

Mahrer had invited the presidents of the nine state chambers to a crisis meeting on Sunday afternoon, at his request, as Mahrer emphasized. There, he asked who expressed confidence in him and "went through them one by one, and the people said yes," he described the decision-making process. However, the attendees demanded certain reforms.

Salaries, Functional Allowances, Services, and Structures Under Review

Specifically, the system for increasing employee salaries is to be revised in collaboration with employee representatives, "to ensure a realistic representation" of the situation in member companies. The goal is to apply the new calculation for the 2027 salary increase as early as next year. The currently used formula, which led to a 4.2 percent increase this year, while many companies agreed on salary increases below inflation, has proven to be "not crisis-resistant."

Secondly, the Court of Audit, which has already announced an audit of the WKÖ, is to specifically examine the structure of functionary compensations. Increases of up to 60 percent this year caused discontent, and the chamber cited a "structural adjustment" as the trigger for the increases.

Finally, the chamber wants to "put structures and services to the test with external support." How the process will run is still open. With this, the chamber wants to show that it does not shy away from comparisons and seeks ways to become "better, closer to members, and more effective." He himself wants to remain "loud" and "uncomfortable" as President of the WKÖ.

(APA/Red)

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