Negotiation marathon: Electrical industry is fighting for fair wages!

Negotiation marathon: Electrical industry is fighting for fair wages!

Am Hart, Österreich - Today, on June 6, 2025, negotiations for the collective agreement (KV) are under high pressure in the electrical and electronics industry (EEI). Since Friday, 2:00 p.m., employers and employees have been struggling with an agreement that is anything but safe due to the complex starting point. The negotiating parties had not yet reached a consensus late Friday afternoon. Historically, long negotiations in this industry are rather atypical, but the current Situation is also not surprising.

The current collective agreement, which should have come into force since May 1, 2023, will be put to the test. According to a study by the specialist association of the electrical and electronics industry (Feei), Austria is the third-tax state in 2023 in the average labor costs in the EU comparison. This plays the social partners in the cards, since the employer side has recently offered a maximum of 1.5 percent in a wage increase - in the face of an inflation of 2.76 percent, which is nothing but a slap in the face for many workers. The demands of the Pro-GE and GPA unions, on the other hand, provide for lifting wages over the inflation rate and also achieving necessary concessions in framework law. Karl Dürtscher, chief negotiator of the GPA, highlights the oppressive loads through inflation and increasing energy prices.

The challenges of the industry

The electrical and electronics industry is a crucial industry for Austria. It contributes 4.4 percent to the total production value of the country and secured around 160,100 jobs in 2023, which corresponds to around 3.2 percent of the total employment. With an impressive export quota of around 84 percent, companies in this industry are particularly susceptible to declining orders and the reduction of external staff. In view of these challenges, the unions demand noticeable increases in wages, salaries and the income from apprentices, as well as an adaptation of the allowances for stressful working hours. It is planned to increase the allowance for the second layer to 1.50 euros per hour and for the third layer to 5 euros per hour.

The negotiations should also urgently tackle topics such as the anniversary allowance and the availability of the sixth vacation week, a point that is important for many employees. 25 years of service at the same employer are required for the right to the sixth vacation week, provided that there are no credible times. In addition, the continuation of the leisure option introduced in 2016 is a hotly discussed topic during the negotiations.

an outlook on the next steps

Another date for the negotiations has already been determined: The talks will continue on April 9, 2025. If there is no agreement until the end of the negotiations, the unions are announced, "combat measures" have been announced, which the work environment in the industry could affect. However, the last word has not yet been spoken here.

In the event of a lack of conclusion, the old collective agreement continues, while a successful conclusion would generally apply retrospectively to May 1, 2025. The next few weeks could be crucial to give the electrical and electronics industry in Austria again. Let's be excited to see how the negotiations develop and whether the social partners will prove a good hand to achieve a fair and for all portable compromise.

Kleine Zeitung reports that the negotiations take place under high pressure, while gpa addressed the stress by the inflation crisis. Additional information about the EEI can also be found at Elektrobranche.at .