Migrant workers in limbo as Austria’s ski resorts reopen

Austria’s ski lifts may be working, but as the country struggles to control coronavirus infections, the sector expects a mild season, and the migrant workers who depend on them face an uncertain winter.

In a normal year, they would be part of one of the largest seasonal labor migrations in Europe.

In Austria’s western Tyrol province alone, more than 31,000 foreign workers are needed when its 80 ski resorts are in full swing, according to one estimate.

But events in Ischgl, the village that became one of Europe’s first large coronavirus clusters, explained why many of those workers are now unemployed.

Around 6,000 tourists claim to have brought the virus home from there.

AFP interviewed workers from Germany, Italy, Croatia and Slovakia, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared risking future employment.

‘Mindless debauchery’

In March, as COVID-19 ravaged northern Italy, Ischgl’s celebrated party scene continued.

An independent report has said closure measures should have been taken there after a bartender tested positive for the disease on March 7, but restaurants and bars remained open regardless.

Waiters whistle their way through the crowd amid what one former employee described as scenes of “mindless debauchery.”

“We kept joking because we didn’t realize how quickly things could happen,” recalls Manuel, a German chef.

“It was pretty clear that this was a financial decision, you can’t believe how much money they make there every day,” said a Croatian worker about the decision to stay open.

The Tirol ski lifts alone collect around € 800 million ($ 980 million or P46.9 billion) a year, while the province’s ski industry accounts for almost three percent of Austria’s annual output.

‘Abandoned like dogs’

A few days later, Ischgl was closed.

As infected tourists fled, migrant resort workers turned off stoves, cleaned bars and removed trash from abandoned rooms of five-star hotels.

The workers were stranded and many only returned home with the help of their embassies.

Andreas Steibl, director of the Ischgl tourism association, said the hundreds of workers forced into quarantine were “taken care of” and that some “were able to use the hotel infrastructure as guests do.”

Steibl insisted that the workers were in a “completely pleasant situation,” something many of them would argue.

Some tested positive, while others say they were unable to access medical care despite having symptoms that made even climbing the stairs a challenge.

“Once the tourists left, we were worth nothing, a burden, actually,” recalled a German waiter.

“They abandoned us like dogs,” said Predrag, who is not his real name, from Croatia, who was trapped in Ischgl for more than three weeks.

Figures provided by the Austrian Institute for Economic Research show that the ensuing shutdown caused around three-quarters of all migrant workers in the Tyrolean winter tourism industry to lose their jobs.

That represents around 24,000 people, of whom only some were entitled to unemployment benefits in Austria or in their home countries.

“It is a very precarious sector,” said Thomas Radner, director of labor law for the Tyrol Chamber of Workers.

Although he said that migrant workers who claim they are “treated like slaves” is nothing new, Radner also noted a dramatic increase in these types of complaints since the outbreak.

Workers who had already signed contracts for the current season have canceled them on short notice.

Thousands in limbo

Despite the disappointment, most of the potential employees AFP spoke to said they would return to Ischgl if given the opportunity.

“Necessity is a difficult task,” said Vojtech Katona, a Slovak who made pizza in Ischgl.

Both he and Predrag have been looking for work in Ischgl or other resorts.

Recognizing their dependence on migrants, cities like Ischgl often try to attract staff with benefits ranging from cheap or even free ski passes, classes or excursions, and access to spas and gyms.

But at the moment, “we don’t need seasonal workers,” Steibl said as he watched the snowy valley from his balcony.

“Once the season really starts, with the opening of hotels and restaurants, we will need them again,” he added.

Until then, tens of thousands of workers are in limbo.

“Given the whole situation, I wasn’t surprised they didn’t respond,” Predrag said of potential employers.

Now out of work, he has financial difficulties, but he also hopes to spend Christmas with his family, far from the snow-capped mountains of Ischgl.

“I am always optimistic,” he insisted. DC

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