No wage agreement

Strike: Thousands of buses at a standstill on Thursday

There were already protest actions at the end of January.

(Bild: ÖGB Vorarlberg)

As the fourth round of collective bargaining for the 12,000 employees of private bus companies has also failed to produce a result, there will be a strike for the first time on Thursday.

"The employers have once again failed to put a substantially improved offer on the table today. Our demands for a noticeable improvement in working conditions for bus drivers are still not being taken seriously," argued the union, explaining the inconclusive end to the fourth round of negotiations.

They did agree on compensation for rolling inflation of 3.5 percent, and there were slight concessions on salaries. "With regard to working conditions, only marginal, but no real relief measures were put on the table," said head of negotiations Anil Zümrüt. For example, any relief regarding split shifts and breaks would still be linked to a loss of income, and the employers would not have moved at all on extending the night bonus.

Strikes on Thursday from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. are now intended to put pressure on the employers.

Talks with the employers about improved working conditions have been going on for two years. The union accuses the companies of a "self-inflicted staff shortage". Three rounds of negotiations have so far been unsuccessful, and now the fourth has also failed. 

The union also sees its demands confirmed by the results of a survey conducted by the University of Vienna entitled "Bus drivers at the limit". When asked in the study "What aspects describe your work?", almost 83% responded with "Great responsibility" followed by "Stress" (45.9%).