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The President of the Chamber of Labor reiterated her demands for an increase in unemployment benefits and breaking of masks in the ORF press hour.
The president of the Chamber of Labor, Renate Anderl, urged on Sunday to take action against the high unemployment related to the crown. In the “press hour” of the ORF also reaffirmed the demands of increased unemployment benefits, interruptions of the mask in working life and legal right to special attention times during the pandemic.
Anderl said the government should show the same vigor it shows in measures to contain the virus, also in measures to curb unemployment, in view of the around 400,000 unemployed and 300,000 people with part-time work. It is to be feared that unemployment will rise in winter. Therefore, urgent measures must be taken.
The fact that the Minister of the Economy, Christine Aschbacher (ÖVP), has announced the “largest labor foundation of the Second Republic” is, in principle, welcome. But that “should have started earlier,” Anderl has overlooked an economic policy strategy so far. The start was announced for October, but so far nothing has happened: “because first you look at where” you need workers.
The Chamber of Labor advocates reconversion in the areas of care, digitization and climate protection. With objections that work in the care sector is too difficult for many, Anderl responded to the demand for better working conditions in this area, referring to the frequent 12-hour workday there.
Mask break required
From Anderl’s point of view, an increase in unemployment benefits (70 instead of 50%) would be “urgently” necessary to strengthen purchasing power. For workers who have to wear masks all day, he asked for a quarter-hour break every two hours. Anderl welcomed the fact that the special attention time for parents was extended until the end of the year in view of the ongoing corona pandemic, but also insisted on the legal right of parents to do so.
Anderl, as she put it, is “always ready to talk” on the question of reasonableness provisions, but first you have to discuss working conditions and working hours. The president of the AK does not want to give up the demand for reduced working hours, although she wants to start with the collective agreements of each branch.
Negotiations are currently under way at the social partner level on new regulations for the head office. The time horizon for this is March, but Anderl hopes it will be faster. The Federal Chamber of Labor does not want to accept that employees keep the cost of heating or work equipment. Here there must be compensation, for tax purposes or a lump sum.
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