Alliance for Non-Profit on the Volunteer Act: "Two steps forward, one step back."

2023-05-26 08:37:28

Volunteer organizations welcome plans in terms of content in the Volunteer Act and sharply criticize the lack of a budget

Vienna (OTS) – „We are pleased that the government recognizes the important contribution that more than a third of Austrians make to our society through their voluntary work. This appreciation is shown in particular by the legal anchoring of the service and competence center for voluntary commitment in Austria, by the creation of volunteer centers and by the establishment of a state prize for voluntary and honorary commitment“, welcomes Annemarie Schlack, Chair of the Board of BÜNDNIS FÜR GEMEINTZIGKEIT and Managing Director of Amnesty International, the draft of the Volunteer Act. However, she criticizes the lack of budgetary coverage, especially in the following years, and the still unresolved discrimination against women in voluntary services: “The planned budget funds do not correspond to the plan for a sustainable, ambitious strengthening of voluntary work in Austria. This is all the more critical to note as the crises of recent years have shown how essential a vital voluntary sector is for Austria. 80% of all participants in the voluntary social year are women. They deserve equal treatment with their male colleagues in community service.“

More funds for voluntary services, especially voluntary social year, needed

The fact that the funds made available will not be valorized in the next five years is incomprehensible in view of the high inflation and equates to falling funds for the sector. The government still needs to make significant improvements here compared to the draft assessment. The climate ticket for the graduates is very welcome.

In the present draft, no budget provision is provided for a desired and expected growing use of the FSJ and the other voluntary services for the years 2023-2027. The BÜNDNIS refers to the comparison period 2017-2022, in which, despite the previously very precarious framework conditions, an increase of 50% (1044 to 1499 participants in the FSJ) was recorded.

„The now planned, but half-heartedly implemented, increase in pocket money to up to 500 euros now enables young people whose parents cannot make a substantial financial contribution to this voluntary year to participate for the first time,” says Peter Kaiser, deputy Chairman of BÜNDNIS and as deputy Secretary General of the Austrian Red Cross, responsible for the second largest operational organization for the FSJ, from practice. “In addition, the capped budgets do not allow any planning security for providers and assignment sites and bring the risk that increasing numbers of participants and inflation will lead to cuts in pocket money for the participants and reimbursement for the assignment organizations.“

As a result, it is to be feared that interested parties would have to be turned away. As a result, long-term prospects for the social sector continued to be lost. 75% of FSJ graduates remain active in the social sector.

„We can no longer do without this commitment and the social commitment of many young people. So that the law does not remain two steps ahead and one step behind, we call for a binding legal regulation of pocket money of 500 euros per month, analogous to the marginal earnings limit,” says Stefan Wallner, Managing Director of the BÜNDNIS FÜR GEMINUTTZIGKEIT (Alliance for Charity). “In order to ensure planning security and to prevent the government from passing on the additional costs to the aid organizations, a binding payment of at least 50% of the increased pocket money to the emergency organizations is also required.“

For voluntary services abroad, the pocket money should continue to be regionally adjusted due to the regional differences in the cost of living and income in the various target countries. The ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY therefore calls for an immediate increase in the funds for the FSJ to 9 million, as well as a aliquot regulation for all voluntary services, and indexation and gradual adjustment of the reimbursement for the volunteer organizations to the civil service framework in the following years.

Volunteer report, volunteer pass and unified insurance solution

In addition, the volunteer report on the situation and development of voluntary work in Austria, which has been published every three years, should be presented to Parliament every two years and not just every five years, as envisaged in the draft. Due to the extensive expansion of activities according to the law, through the satellite account for the third sector and the work of the service and competence center, timely monitoring of the measures and changes in the voluntary sector would be necessary.

The fact that the Austrian Volunteer Passport, which has been criticized by numerous stakeholders, is now mentioned as a mandatory requirement contradicts all the results of the participation process and the scientific evaluation. Therefore, the volunteer passport should be anchored in the law as a recommendation – but in no way as an obligation.

Unfortunately, the current draft lacks a uniform insurance solution by the federal government. This misses an important opportunity for protection, especially accident insurance for volunteers. The Federal Ministry should provide general, publicly financed accident insurance for all volunteers in Austria as part of the financial equalization with the federal states.

„Important steps are laid out in the draft, and the federal government should now take them consistently and sustainably,” concludes the representatives of BÜNDNIS.