Lower Austria 2026 with Zero Wage Round in Politics

In Lower Austria, there will be a zero salary increase across all political levels in 2026. This had already been clarified for government members for some time - on Thursday, it was announced that the salaries for state parliament members and mayors will also not be increased next year. A contribution is to be made to continue the prevailing "savings mindset," emphasized the club leaders Kurt Hackl (ÖVP) and Reinhard Teufel (FPÖ) in a press release.

Lower Austria before Zero Salary Increase

"The budget situation is and remains tense for the public sector in times of an economic crisis. Currently, every euro in the state is being turned over twice, every expenditure questioned," Hackl and Teufel further outlined. Hackl referred to the task reform, with which the state administration should become "even faster, more economical, and more citizen-friendly," and the deregulation law passed in the most recent state parliament session in October. "The waiver of the adjustment of politicians' salaries is therefore a logical next step to underline the savings intent of state politics."

"Politicians are the representatives of the people. Our task is to implement the interests of the Lower Austrian population in the best possible way. This also means starting with ourselves and sending a clear signal," emphasized Teufel. "In the next step, it will be our task to enable Lower Austrians to have economic perspectives again." Goals are affordable energy, good jobs, and "an affordable life."

Zero Salary Increase Not a Novelty

Already this year, a zero salary increase applied to the members of the Lower Austrian state government. The legally stipulated increase in the salaries of the deputies became effective in the second half of the year, with July seeing an increase of 4.6 percent.

SPÖ state party chairman State Councilor Sven Hergovich welcomes the zero salary increase in 2026 "as an important signal in times when the population has to save at every corner and end." In 2023, the Social Democrats advocated not increasing the salaries of state government members and announced that the increase would be donated. "At that time, ÖVP and FPÖ did not want to know anything about it. It's good that this view has changed in the meantime," Hergovich stated.

"A zero salary increase in politics is an important, symbolic contribution - but nothing more," stated NEOS state party chairwoman Indra Collini in a press release. However, a "significantly more far-reaching and at the same time necessary step" would be a reduction in party funding, which the Pink party once again demanded.

(APA/Red)

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