In the run-up to the strike announced by vida for February 14 at the Austrian private private clinics, the employers' representatives make it clear that their offer goes far beyond that communicated by communicated by vida. In addition to an hourly wage increase for all professional groups above the offer includes a reduction in working hours and a minimum wage of 2,000 euros. of 2,000 euros. In order to call the union back to the negotiating table and accelerate the
negotiations, the Association of Private Hospitals in Austria has filed a petition with the Federal hospitals has submitted an application to the Federal Conciliation Office to initiate conciliation negotiations. submitted.
The union has repeatedly communicated the employers' offer inadequately, and relevant parts have remained completely unmentioned. The Association of Private Hospitals is therefore seeking clarification and is clarifying the following key points of its offer: "The union is citing an allegedly underestimated offer of a 175 euro pay rise as the reason for announcing its warning strike. In our view, this amount is incomprehensible, as other key elements of our offer remain completely unmentioned. The 2,000 euro minimum wage has already been offered as part of an attempt to improve the situation, but this was rejected. In addition, we were also prepared to pay an hourly wage that was significantly higher than the inflation rate. Hourly wages would therefore have been increased by 8.39 percent - compared to an inflation rate of 7.53 percent. Furthermore, we have offered a reduction in working hours by one hour from mid-2023," explains Stefan Günther, Secretary General and collective agreement negotiator for the Association of Private Hospitals, the employers' offer.
Federal conciliation office called in to settle dispute
"We are making every effort to ensure that all patients receive care on the day of the strike. At the same time, we would like to emphasize that agreements for 2023 were already made in 2021 and that our offers were in line with vida's demands. The statements made in the run-up to the warning strike lack any objectivity," explains Günther. The association is still interested in a constructive continuation and the earliest possible conclusion of the collective bargaining negotiations. "We regret that vida was not prepared to reach an agreement
in view of our continuously improved offers. From our point of view, the course of the collective bargaining negotiations can only lead to the conclusion that they were prepared to go on strike. We still stand by our agreement and are ready for a settlement. For this reason, we have submitted an application to the Federal Conciliation Office, which is part of the Ministry of Labor, to initiate conciliation negotiations. With the help of a mediation body committed to objectivity, we hope to accelerate the conclusion of negotiations in order to finally make the increases possible for the employees," Stefan Günther concluded.
Vienna, February 13, 2023
About the association
The Association of Austrian Private Hospitals has represented the interests of legal entities of private hospitals since 1953 and has its own collective bargaining capacity. It represents one of the main pillars of the Austrian healthcare system. Further information can be found at www.privatkrankenanstalten.at
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Doris Lenhardt
Himmelhoch GmbH
Wohllebengasse 4/6+7, 1040 Vienna
Mobile: +43 650 400 27 81
E-mail: doris.lenhardt@himmelhoch.at