New IV President:

“Redefining the rules of the game for collective bargaining”

Kurt Maier's first working day as President of the Styrian Federation of Industry.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

Kurt Maier has been elected as the new President of the Styrian Federation of Industry. In this interview, the Graz native and manager of the Heinzel Group talks about confidence, what he thinks of part-time quotas, his views on transport policy and calls for a rethink in collective bargaining. 

"Krone": In your inaugural speech, you said that it is the industry that can provide continuity and confidence. How confident can you be in times like these?
Kurt Maier: What I meant was that it is the industry that reacts to changing conditions and does not resign itself and say, "We'll just live with the standstill now". We are constantly working on optimizing our processes, becoming more energy efficient and developing new products. We try to manage crises and, even if the market is currently difficult to plan for, hopefully take the right measures to get through. But we didn't mean that we'll all be happy again next week.

According to the Chamber of Commerce's economic barometer, not a single large Styrian company will take on staff in the next twelve months. What does that mean from your point of view?
That you have to be careful when it comes to costs - especially when it comes to labor costs and unit labor costs in Austria. We have currently reached our peak in this respect. Certain investments are also being held back now, nobody is taking the risk of continuing to build up fixed costs if they don't know whether they can keep their employees on.

Is Styria too dependent on the automotive industry?
In my opinion, you have to differentiate between projects that are not happening now and the statement that we are in the wrong position as a Styrian industry. Of course, we are very active in the automotive sector, but we are fundamentally very well positioned in this area. Of course, the car is always an indicator of how we are doing, and the figures that are currently in the air regarding employees are of course bitter. But you can't say that we are structurally in the wrong position.

Kurt Maier, new President of IV Styria.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

You mentioned non-wage labor costs: do you really believe that anything will change after the elections?
As the Federation of Austrian Industries, we will continue to build up pressure in this area and clearly state the consequences that are on the table. Regardless of the government, we will not be able to avoid dealing with this issue.

Can you perhaps briefly outline your "Agenda Industrial Location 2030"?
That is still too early, we will be working on this with all of our members in the summer and are doing this as input for the future state government. With a clear view of what we can do ourselves. We will present the agenda in the fall.

You also talked about breaking up the traditional negotiation patterns in collective bargaining. What exactly do you mean by that?
Ultimately, these negotiations are only about adding the inflation rate. I think we need to redefine the time period and look more to the future than to the past. So we need to redefine the rules of the game, the keyword being the "Benya formula", which is currently no longer getting us anywhere. So why shouldn't we be able to change the rules of the game? 

About the person

Kurt Maier was born in Graz in 1961 and completed his doctorate at Graz University of Technology in 1991. From 2005 to 2016, he headed Zellstoff Pöls AG, first as CFO and then as CEO. He has been with the Heinzel Group since 2016, initially as CEO and since 2022 as COO. He has now been elected President by the IV Styria Executive Board, succeeding Stefan Stolitzka. His Vice Presidents are Alfred Marchler, Franz Mayr-Melnhof and Markus Ritter.

Working hours are also a much-discussed topic in this country. In your opinion, do Styrians work too little?
Of course you can't lump it all together. I even believe that it is necessary to offer more part-time work in combination with reasonable childcare. In my speech, I was referring more to those people who voluntarily decide to work less - that is perfectly legitimate. But I can't say that I pay less into a pot and then take the whole thing out if the worst comes to the worst. That would lead to social injustice. Regardless of the fact that it will become increasingly difficult if more and more people want to work part-time, because at some point the whole system will no longer work. The question is also how much pension people who work part-time will receive.

In the past, Styrian industry has repeatedly campaigned for a connection between the airport and the Koralm Railway and also for the expansion of the A9. I assume you have a similar view?
I find it completely incomprehensible how you can build such an efficient railroad line and then drive past the airport. There is no explanation for this and it contradicts any economic policy, because everyone knows that transport connections are the most important thing. Styria needs this structural connection, which of course also applies to the expansion of the A 9 and the energy supply.

What bright spots do you see in Styrian industry?
We benefit greatly from the fact that we have so many committed entrepreneurs and so many motivated and well-trained employees. These facts are also the main reason why investments are still being made. However, we need the framework conditions to ensure that our outstanding research and development also keeps production in the country. The potential is undoubtedly huge.