For 4200 employees

Tyrolean MPreis elects works council for the first time

(Bild: MPreis/Kathrin Auer)

The Tyrolean food retailer MPreis, headquartered in Völs (Innsbruck-Land district), elected a works council for its employees for the first time on Wednesday. Around 4,200 employees are to be represented by the 22-member body.

However, only 24 percent exercised their right to co-determination. Three lists were up for election, the constituent meeting will take place on October 2.

GPA speaks of a "happy day"
The trade union GPA spoke of a "happy day" and a "historic election". However, there had been problems with the postal service and some voting cards had not arrived on time.

For the GPA, the works council election is particularly important in view of the restructuring measures announced by the company. MPreis had recently been in the red and spoke of necessary "painful cuts".

No job cuts
Following a round table with representatives of the state government and the social partners, there will be no major job cuts, as feared by the trade union. Instead, the company wanted to compensate for job cuts "through natural fluctuation" and retain employees in the company.

According to MPreis, however, only part of the entire workforce is now represented by the works council. Only the employees, but not the workers, are included. However, the establishment of a works council is in the hands of the workers themselves, the APA was told.