ORF is exemplary!

Voluntary salary waiver by top earners

Commentary on the major issues affecting Austria: Klaus Herrmann, Managing Editor-in-Chief

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

Surprising reaction to the forced publication of top salaries at the state broadcaster. As is well known, the public has known since this weekend that morning alarm clock Robert Kratky, for example, earns almost half a million euros a year, followed by ORF's head of broadcasting Pius Strobl with a whopping 440,000 euros and Director General Roland Weißmann with a not very modest 425,000 euros a year.

In total, the list of ORF employees earning more than 170,000 euros a year includes 62 people. This is now set to change dramatically as of today. In an unprecedented show of solidarity, the 62 top earners have agreed to cap their salaries at 170,000 euros.

At the same time, the high earners agreed to donate their earnings above the 170,000 euro limit for the past 12 months, which would be 280,000 euros for Robert Kratky alone, to the ORF campaign "Licht ins Dunkel".

ORF multi-saurus Pius Strobl (calculated donation: 270,000 euros) will certainly find a suitable use for the huge sum paid in by him and his colleagues. How the swift agreement on the salary waiver and the repayment on a donation basis came about can only be guessed at today. Rumor has it that General Director Roland Weißmann was the first to prevail against the true rulers of the Küniglberg, whose names are well known. It is commendable that this exemplary action was implemented so quickly that it can be announced as early as April 1.

However, it has not yet been completely ruled out that it may not be implemented until April 1 of a year yet to be negotiated. So one thing is certain: April, April!