WKÖ non-ferrous metal industry association: basic agreement on new collective agreement increases wages and salaries by an average of 8.9%

2023-11-30 22:19:14

Employer chief negotiator van Gils: “After difficult discussions, it is important to stabilize the business location and reduce non-wage labor costs

Vienna (OTS) – The negotiations on a new collective agreement (KV) in the non-ferrous metals industry in Austria were largely successfully concluded. The agreement is subject to a hardship clause that has yet to be created. The negotiating partners – the trade association of the non-ferrous metal industry in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) for employers and the trade unions PRO-GE and GPA – agreed on the following KV building blocks:

• Increase in actual wages and salaries by 10% retroactively from November 1, 2023, up to a maximum of 400 euros per month.

• Allowances and expense allowances as well as the basic level of the wage and salary tables: +8.5%; Advance values are frozen.

• Two-year financial statement: From November 1, 2024, actual wages and salaries will rise by one percent above the level of the underlying rolling CPI consumer price index.

• A competition protection clause for hardship cases has been outlined for companies in the non-ferrous sector that face international competition and are personnel-intensive. This will be specifically formulated in the coming days and the present agreement is subject to this essential location strategy clause.

Rob van Gils, the head of negotiations on the employer side, emphasized that this year’s conclusion is at the very highest limit of the companies’ resilience: “Such a high KV conclusion of almost 9% is only slightly below the underlying inflation and means an enormous additional financial burden for us establishments. The current economic developments, such as an inflation rate that is well above the Eurozone average, the decline in demand and the resulting decline in incoming orders, as well as rapidly rising energy prices, are already presenting industrial companies with enormous challenges. There is definitely a risk that such high wage and salary increases will lead to significant competitive disadvantages compared to foreign competitors – especially Germany.” Van Gils, a proven expert on the European market, is concerned about Austria’s competitiveness: “Austria has a negative impact on its neighboring countries , Germany in particular is gradually losing cost advantages. I therefore expect that the federal government will reduce additional wage costs in order to compensate for these disadvantages,” says van Gils in conclusion. (PWK441/JHR)