Eurofound's COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the crisis, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for case AT-2020-43/1310 – measures in Austria
Country | Austria , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, started on 21 October 2020 |
Type | Bipartite collective agreements |
Category |
Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
– Remuneration and rewards for workers in essential services |
Author | Bernadette Allinger (Forba) and Eurofound |
Case created | 23 October 2020 (updated 30 October 2020) |
The retail food sector and drugstores were not concerned by closures during the lock-down in spring in Austria due to the COVID-19 crisis. Retail workers were especially exposed to catching the disease as they had to keep the businesses running as so-called "system-critical" workers. Other areas in the retail/commerce sector, on the other hand (like clothes stores, furniture stores,...), were severely concerned by business closures during the lock-down phase and tremendous financial losses, with many workers on short-time work or becoming unemployed.
The large collective agreement for white-collar workers in the retail sector in Austria applies to 415,000 workers and 18,000 apprentices and is a uniform collective agreement for all diverse sections of the commerce sector. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the food (and drugstore) sector generally made (large) profits, the non-food sector encountered (large) losses. These two very distinct developments had to be taken into account in this autumn's annual collective bargaining round. Similar to the metalworkers a few weeks earlier, the conclusion was reached already in the first negotiating round, foreseeing a basic wage increase of 1.5% (compensating for inflation). In addition, all companies "which can afford it" are called upon to pay a bonus of at least €150 to their employees. According to the union, every fourth retail worker will benefit from this measure. For apprentices, which were by regulation exempt from home-schooling during the lockdown in order to work, this bonus is mandatory.
Several supermarket chains (Rewe, Lidl, Hofer, Spar) have announced that they would pay such a bonus to their employees, also higher than the minimum amount of €150. Exact amounts and timing of the payment have yet not been announced. Some supermarkets (e.g. Rewe) have already paid their employees a voluntary bonus in spring, and support their employees now for a second time.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Employees in standard employment
|
Sector specific set of companies
|
Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
Social partners jointly
|
Companies
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The sectoral social partners negotiated the annual collective agreement for the retail sector.
Before the negotiations, the union had demanded a mandatory Corona-bonus for all sectoral employees, but did not get through with its demand; nonetheless, both sides are supportive of the measure in the face of the economic circumstances. (In summer, the union even held a petition for a bonus of €1,000 for all employees in critical infrastructure branches, but did not succeed.)
This case is sector-specific (only private sector)
Economic area | Sector (NACE level 2) |
---|---|
G - Wholesale And Retail Trade; Repair Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles | G45 Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
G46 Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | |
G47 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
This case is not occupation-specific.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Recommendation for Corona bonus in retail collective agreement, case AT-2020-43/1310 (measures in Austria), COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, http://eurofound.link/covid19eupolicywatch
Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process. All information is preliminary and subject to change.