WK election 2025

“We now have a labor shortage”

Christian Weinhold, the UNOS top candidate, has been self-employed in Carinthia for 13 years. As a candidate for the EU Parliament, he has also gained other political experience.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

The Chamber of Commerce elections will take place on March 12 and 13. The UNOS lead candidate, Christian Weinhold, is in favour of a more diverse representation of interests and criticizes compulsory membership.

Christian Weinhold is the UNOS lead candidate in the Chamber of Commerce elections. Born in Germany, he has been self-employed in Carinthia for 13 years - first as a kiosk operator, now he runs a supermarket. In addition to his work in the Chamber of Commerce for the past five years, he has also run for the European Parliament.

Why do you focus on the Chamber of Commerce and not on traditional politics?
My focus is on both areas. I am a substitute municipal councillor in Klagenfurt, so I am also active with the NEOS there. And with the Chamber of Commerce in particular, I see the point that it is the mouthpiece for entrepreneurs. And in my view, this is where things are lacking. That's my reason for getting involved here.

Can you use your entrepreneurial activities for the Chamber of Commerce or vice versa? Why did you get involved?
Not really. The original approach - to become active in the specialist groups in particular - was of course also a kind of knowledge advantage that I was hoping for. Of course, it is the task of the specialist group to pass on information to its members. But the second motivation was more political, which didn't quite suit me.

What role should the Chamber of Commerce play as a social partner in Austria?
As a mouthpiece. There are issues, especially for entrepreneurs, that are different from general political issues. They are specific. And the Economic Chamber represents them, represents their interests. That's why it's called that. It should represent the specific interests of companies vis-à-vis politicians. It was the other way around during coronavirus. The government decided on measures and they were simply communicated one-to-one.

And that's supposed to change, with entrepreneurs giving UNOS their voice, so to speak?
Exactly, that's the point. There are of course some demands from the largest parliamentary group right now, but unfortunately only before the election. In between, things are relatively quiet. With UNOS, there is an additional voice alongside the other groups in the Chamber of Commerce.

Do you think that the smaller groups, like the UNO now, can do the job better?
The Chamber of Commerce system is structured in such a way that a lot is done through networks. Many entrepreneurs are members of the Economic Association because it is necessary for their own business. And that shouldn't be the case. It shouldn't just be a network, but really a representation of all existing interests. And I think that if it becomes more colorful, there will naturally be more voices. The next issue is compulsory membership: as long as it exists, the Chamber of Commerce doesn't really have to make an effort. It collects the money and just does what it does. If we were to move towards voluntary membership here, the ÖAMTC would be a good example.

There is a petition against the ORF household levy for entrepreneurs. What is UNOS' position on this, for example?
The petition is certainly a good thing. But here, too, the question arises as to why it is coming before the Chamber of Commerce elections? I think it's been a good year since the ORF levy was changed. That means, yes, the first advance notices are only now being issued, which is probably why it is only now coming to light.

On the subject of multiple charges: you mentioned compulsory membership. There is also a discussion about multiple membership in various sectors. Would that be a first step?
Voluntary membership alone is not legally possible, as the matter is constitutional. But we can start working towards it now. I speak from my own experience when it comes to the double burden. I have four specialist group memberships with my companies and am therefore a compulsory member of four specialist groups. A merger would be urgently needed here. Another question: Why do we need nine regional chambers?

Do you use the training courses and services offered by the Chamber of Commerce yourself and how do you view this offer?
Hardly at all. I know that it exists and, like many entrepreneurs, I am hardly aware of the service portfolio. Apart from the things that run via the Wifi, which are already known, there's the course book. This service in quotation marks is also partly prescribed, again due to the Chamber of Commerce Act. I was also personally affected by this in the catering sector. With the small kiosk, I was limited to eight rating places in the catering sector. And to be able to serve nine, let alone open beer, I would have had to do the qualification course for gastronomy. That means doing everything: Hotel business, how to cut up a pig, what types of wine are there? Why is all this necessary?

What does the Carinthian economy need to be fit for the future from the UN's point of view?
That's a broad portfolio. I see the burden of personnel costs as one of the most serious issues. One of our demands is to reduce non-wage labor costs to 25 percent. Chamber levy 2 is an interesting point, most people don't even know it was introduced in 1997 as a temporary measure. It was supposed to be levied to help businesses in need. We are now living in multiple crises - starting with corona, the financial crisis and the energy crisis. This pot has never been touched. Now the question is, what kind of crisis would it take for something to really be paid out? I don't think we want a situation like that, so we don't need the pot.

The Chamber of Commerce is now struggling with a very low voter turnout. What is the reason for this and why should an entrepreneur vote for you?
That is a really difficult issue. Voter turnout in general, but of course also explicitly at the Chamber of Commerce, is really dramatic. The effectiveness is obviously not understandable for those entitled to vote, whether I cast a vote or not. Certainly also due to the many standardized lists. Is it about the effectiveness of the vote? We as UNOS want to do things differently, we want to be there for the companies and hope to activate some non-voters here and then be able to represent their voices.

How do you see the issue of the Koralmbahn for Carinthia?
It has to become a large economic area. That is the goal and the great opportunity to really create Carinthia-Styria as a major business location in the middle of Europe and to take advantage of the opportunities. We have been a bit asleep in various areas, especially in Klagenfurt. Yes, the railroad is coming at some point, but no real issues have been addressed so far. I don't see the Koralm as a specific issue, but a general one.

How do you see the problem of the shortage of skilled workers in Carinthia? 
 I don't think skilled workers have been an issue for a long time. We've been talking about the workforce in general for a long time. In my opinion, skilled workers were a luxury when you look back, when we only had a shortage of skilled workers. Now we really have a labor shortage. We have to hire unskilled workers, if any apply at all, and then train them ourselves. One important aspect is the massive expansion of childcare, which would help Carinthia. And work must pay. Because the difference between part-time and full-time employment is not really that great for employees. At least not on paper at the moment. Afterwards, of course, when you factor in the pension gap, it will be. But nobody can see that on paper. The attractiveness of full-time work needs to be increased, for example through a full-time bonus or tax exemption for overtime.