Austrian railway workers to get raise after pay standoff
Dec 13, 2022, 8:27 AM | Updated: 8:33 am
BERLIN (AP) — Railway workers in Austria are set to get a significant wage increase under a deal reached Tuesday to resolve a pay standoff that resulted in a one-day strike last month.
Labor union vida and employers reached the agreement after several rounds of talks on pay for some 50,000 employees of about 65 railway operators, including the main national operator OeBB.
After a previous round failed, a walkout on Nov. 28 brought the railway network — a key means of transport in the Alpine nation — to a standstill. Austria is also an important European transport hub at the center of the continent.
The Austria Press Agency reported that the accord foresees a raise of at least 210 euros ($221) each per month effective Dec. 1, followed by further raises taking the total to 480 euros by February 2024. Representatives of both sides said that would mean an 11-12% raise for lower-paid workers, APA reported, while the average increase would be nearly 8.1%.
Like many other countries, Austria has seen inflation surge this year following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The country’s annual inflation rate hit 11% in October before dipping to 10.6% last month.
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