ORF boss Roland Weißmann said this in the “Kleine Zeitung” interview (Saturday edition). “Penalties are the last resort,” said Weißmann. There shouldn’t be any until summer. But: “They will pay the contribution, even if some grumble,” he said. Aside from the ORF contribution, which will be significantly cheaper for households that have been paying the replaced device-linked GIS fee for a long time, the new ORF law also provides for a transparency report. Salaries over 170,000 euros gross per year must be disclosed on ORF for the first time at the end of March. The ORF works council wants to take legal action against it. Weißmann can particularly benefit from the argument that the obligation to be transparent should not only apply to the ORF, but also to other public companies.
Photo: EVA MANHART (APA)
High ORF salaries: “We’re dealing with legacy issues here”
The ORF general director did not want to comment on the recent rumors that he could be surpassed in terms of salary by another ORF employee. In principle, he dislikes the fact that “something like this always fuels envy and resentment.”
The high average gross annual salary of ORF full-time employees always causes a stir. It is 91,400 euros. Weißmann justifies this by saying that the salaries of all top positions are also included here. “We are also dealing with legacy issues here,” he said. In the current ORF collective agreement, average salaries are 30 percent lower. “This means we are at market level, sometimes below it, which certainly causes problems in retaining and recruiting employees,” noted Weißmann.
