STRABAG registers for short-time working programme in Austria
20 March 2020
- Reduced working hours initially for three months
- Rapid response to yesterday’s revised federal short-time work directive
Vienna, 20 March 2020---STRABAG, the largest Austrian construction company, is applying for short-time work in Austria, initially for a period of three months, as an immediate response to the revision made yesterday, Thursday, to the federal short-time work directive (KUA-COVID-19).
“With the new framework for short-time work, the government, responding in part to public pressure, has worked out a solution that is acceptable and reasonable for all involved. The spectre of across-the-board layoffs is thus off the table, and I am very happy about that. We have always seen short-time work at acceptable terms as the preferred solution – these conditions now exist. Until they did, we had to reduce the risk to our company with its thousands of jobs. This is why, as a precautionary measure, we had initially pre-registered our employees with the national employment agency’s early warning system,” says Thomas Birtel, CEO of STRABAG SE. “I wish to thank all our employees for their trust and the works council for the constructive dialogue. Now we can work together to prevent more drastic measures.”
The works council of STRABAG in Austria supports the way things are proceeding. “The team of the works council was greatly relieved by the decision to introduce short-time work at STRABAG and welcomes the Management Board’s plans to roll out this programme in Austria. This also brings to a positive conclusion our most important demands and efforts made by the works council in close cooperation with the trade unions,” comments Omar Al-Rawi, chairman of the employee works council in Austria.
“Why we are in favour of this model is obvious: short-time work safeguards the most jobs, is the most efficient way to ensure the continued existence of the company, and, despite the inevitable loss of income, offers a far better financial situation for all of our colleagues than normal unemployment benefits,” adds Roland Taibl, chairman of the central works council.
