"Resignation Not an Endpoint": IV Demands Reform of the WKÖ After Mahrer’s Departure

Knill paid respect to Mahrer for his work and also for his withdrawal, which he announced via video on Thursday after the pressure from his own ÖVP ranks became too strong - keyword: salaries in the WKÖ, compensations for presidium members, his own double earnings, and a failed communication about it. The events of the past few days had brought the situation to a head, said Knill. Due to the long-standing, bleak economic situation, a lot of frustration had built up over the years among the chamber's mandatory members.

IV sees opportunity for a fresh start after Mahrer's resignation

"The resignation is not an endpoint but an opportunity for a necessary fresh start," said the industry president. It's about structures, not people. "It's about responsibility and the question of how we want to represent the economy and industry together and with emphasis." With a "strong modernization - faster, leaner, and with targeted relief for businesses," the Chamber of Commerce can not only remain operational but also regain trust and fulfill its mandate of representing companies more strongly. "Work must be done more in the interest of the companies."

The presidium of the Federation of Austrian Industries has developed its own reform proposals. According to Knill, these are to be discussed "promptly" with the chamber leadership - and, of course, some of them are to be implemented. The IV is not a "real" social partner but a voluntary association for Austria's rather larger (industrial) companies.

Freeze contributions and reduce by 30 percent by 2029

All contributions should be frozen immediately and reduced by 30 percent compared to the current level by 2029 (annually minus ten percent from 2027 for chamber levies 1 and 2). The accumulation of reserves should be stopped, and after an analysis, parts of the reserves could also serve the contribution reduction or chamber work. It will be seen whether parts of the reserves, which amount to over two billion euros, are usable.

IV pro social partnership and not against WKÖ mandatory membership

Knill does not want to attack the mandatory membership itself, but the chamber must do more to ensure that it is not questioned as strongly as it is by some entrepreneurs currently. In response to journalists' questions, Knill also spoke out against initiatives to simply withhold contributions. That is ultimately not lawful. A "new unbureaucratic basis for assessing chamber levies" needs to be developed. Structures should be "modernized." Much is conceivable here and needs to be discussed.

"We must no longer be satisfied with stagnation," said Knill. "The chamber must shape, not manage." With reductions in contributions and more service, it could also serve as a role model for other social partners - and above all, be a strong economic representation within the social partnership, which is not questioned by the IV. In any case, the calculation of contributions should become more comprehensible and transparent.

The questions of salary or presidency compensation increases must be clarified by the chamber itself. The chamber leadership must see what is acceptable to the "compulsory members." They do not want to interfere with or give recommendations to other chambers; the economic chamber is the chamber to which the IV companies belong.

Large Companies to Gain More Power in WKÖ

In the future, according to the IV, large member companies should have more say in the economic chamber. Because they pay the most. When asked, Knill said: "One percent of the companies pay 28 percent of the contributions." Since these large companies from the retail, industry, and financial services sectors pay more, "more attention for them is only fair." Not only in this regard should the voting rights be reformed, which many economic chamber experts describe as opaque.

Schultz Favorite as Mahrer Interim Successor

Schultz Favorite as Mahrer Interim Successor

As of Friday noon, Mahrer-Vice Martha Schultz was still considered the favorite for the interim succession. However, this was not yet official. It was heard that it might not be communicated until Saturday. A successor to Mahrer as head of the ÖVP Economic Association is also being sought. So far, the chamber and people's party function have been held in personal union.

(APA/Red)

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