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“Want a pay rise”: bus drivers threaten to strike

The collective agreement for bus drivers is currently being negotiated.

(Bild: ©zozzzzo – stock.adobe.com (Symbolbild))

It's about money and working at night: the collective agreement negotiations for bus drivers are at a standstill. The union is threatening a warning strike if no agreement is reached in the next round. The employers, for their part, are "irritated".

Around 12,000 drivers across Austria are behind the wheel of private bus companies. Negotiations are currently underway for their collective agreement, and no agreement was reached in the third round of talks on January 29. The main sticking point is the regulations on night work.

Surcharges for driving at night
"When everyone else is asleep and off work, bus drivers drive and don't get paid enough for it - and family life suffers as a result," criticizes Michael Krippner, himself a driver and works council member at ÖBB Postbus. Bus drivers currently receive a night allowance for journeys between midnight and 5 am. The vida trade union is calling for this to be extended to the period from 10 pm to 6 am.

"We are offering a 50 percent supplement from 11 p.m. to midnight," says Martin Horvath, chief negotiator for the employers and Federal Chairman of the Bus Professional Group in the Chamber of Commerce, to the "Krone". So the two sides are still at odds here.

"Wage dumping" vs. "false statement"
When it comes to the wage increase, however, there is no longer much disagreement: the union is demanding an increase of 3.7 percent, while the employers are prepared to offer a wage increase of 3.5 percent.

Nevertheless, there were sharp words exchanged on Thursday - not unusual during such negotiations. The fact that bus drivers are currently on the so-called shortage occupation list is a "trap" for the union. This makes it possible to recruit staff from outside the EU, and employees are warning of wage dumping. "Get the bus drivers off the shortage occupation list - we want fair wage increases and better working conditions," demands Gerhard Siegl, vida Chairman in Upper Austria.

Horvath is "irritated" by such "false statements": "There is a collective agreement that applies to everyone, regardless of whether they are Austrian or foreign drivers" - the accusation of wage dumping is therefore unfounded.

Trade union puts warning strike on the table
Negotiations will officially continue on February 17. "However, if a deceptive package is put on the negotiating table again, the employees will hold a first warning strike on February 20," according to a press release from vida Upper Austria. In this case, restrictions on scheduled bus services are to be expected.