Stefan Günther, chief negotiator and General Secretary of the Association of Private Hospitals, is surprised by the union's displeasure, despite all understanding: "It was the employers who had already presented a fair offer in March, but it was rejected by vida. "After many businesses were completely empty for several weeks and have just been able to restart, talking about increases straight away not only contradicts any duty of prudent business management, but is also de facto impossible," says Günther about the employer representatives' wish, agreed with the union, to continue negotiations in September.
Contrary to vida's claims, employees have shown understanding for the difficult situation of the clinics in personal discussions. There is no doubt that the staff are doing an extraordinary job every day. Nevertheless, it should not be overlooked that many private healthcare facilities were forced to shut down operations to a minimum for weeks on the urgent recommendation of the government - to protect everyone. In order to guarantee the protection of staff and patients, cost-intensive measures and materials were and will continue to be necessary in the future.
Full restart with fair compensation for employees
"The primary goal is to get all employees back from short-time work and to fully restart operations and get them used to a working day with Covid-19 safety measures," says Günther. If this is achieved, nothing will stand in the way of a positive conclusion that delivers a satisfactory result for both sides. If the collective agreement is concluded later than usual, this should not be interpreted to mean that the employers want to disregard the previous months.
Focus on cohesion and objective discussion
However, the chief negotiator urges constructiveness and cohesion: "It is particularly important to pull together at the present time!" With this in mind, Günther is surprised by unobjective, even false comparisons: "Mixing up the KV negotiations with the polemical discussion about the PRIKRAF is not expedient - especially as it is a question of compensation for medically necessary services provided for patients. Not subsidies or even gifts of money."
The association represents the interests of large and small companies alike. In addition to a large number of private rehabilitation and care facilities and outpatient clinics, 30% of the approximately 80 members are PRIKRAF homes.
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
Queries
Elena Reghenzani, BA
PR Officer Association of Austrian Private Hospitals
e.reghenzani@privatkrankenanstalten.at
+ 43 660 358 826 0