Politics
The federal and state governments laid down the cornerstones for implementing the care reform on Friday. As demanded by Lower Austria, the salary bonus should be paid out to all employees in the same amount, regardless of their occupational group.
There should also be no differences in the federal states, it was decided on Friday at the state social officers’ conference in Vienna. The 570 million euros budgeted by the federal government will be invested in this. “In advance, we called for the fastest possible procedure, coordinated among the federal states and with the federal government, for the payment of the salary subsidies promised as part of the care reform,” said Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP), Lower Austria’s Social Provincial Councilor introduced in Lower Austria.
“I am extremely pleased that we were able to make a transnational decision and that the payment should be made uniformly throughout Austria this year,” says Teschl-Hofmeister. “We know from numerous discussions with the staff, the carriers, but also the union representatives that we are complying with an urgent request from everyone involved.”
Salary bonus: Low four-digit amount
It is still unclear how much each employee will receive, as Vienna’s Social Provincial Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) explained. But it will probably be a low four-digit amount. One wants to discuss this with the unions and also with the employers, said Hacker. The money is to be paid out in December.
It was emphasized that all professional groups should benefit to the same extent – i.e. home help as well as qualified nursing staff. Social Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) thanked the state representatives for this solution and revealed: “Some have jumped over their shadows.”
Countries are demanding a new package of goods
Measures against inflation were also discussed on Friday – such as a possible redesign of the compensatory allowance reference rate, which is relevant for the calculation of pensions. Here, the countries would like the underlying package of goods to be reassembled or designed more precisely in order to increase the accuracy of poverty prevention.
The federal states would also like to be involved more intensively in the discussion about unemployment insurance. Although this is a matter for the federal government, it is also closely “interwoven” with social assistance. Changes in the AMS reference would have a direct impact on the recipients of the support, it was pointed out.