Austria - Power shift from labour to capital - June 1, 2019

Socialeurope.eu published an in-depth article on recent developments that might endanger the social equilibrium. According to the authors the countries’ right-wing government has tilted the balance of power with their recent series of labour-market reforms. These reforms resemble changes in other countries like the United Kingdom and the Hartz process in Germany. The new Working Time Act, which was implemented despite massive protests, for example allows employers to assign a 12-hour working-day and a 60-hour working week. Trade unions and works councils have no saying in this while the individual worker is hardly in a position to refuse.

Read on: in German ...

For more information, please contact Sanne van der Gaag or Sjaak van der Velden, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) sannevandergaag@deburcht.org or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Steve Coulter scoulter@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.