Austrian Unions Strike to Save Threatened Pension System

Posted to the IUF website 03-Jun-2003

Share this article.



�GB President Verzetnitsch with striking Coca-Cola workers

Austria's trade union center �GB has launched another round of mass strikes in defense of the country's threatened pension system. Draft legislation proposed by the governing center-right coalition would raise the legal retirement age by 6 years and ultimately cut pensions by as much as 40% for certain categories of pensioners.

Following successful strike action on May 6 and a mass rally in Vienna on May 13, the government agreed to roundtable discussions with unions and employers, but has failed to yield on essential elements of the proposed cuts. The �GB executive therefore unanimously voted to carry out new strikes on June 3, focussing on private industry and public transport.

The IUF-affiliated Food and Allied Workers' Union ANG has informed the secretariat of strikes taking place at some 80 enterprises, including all Coca-Cola facilities and all breweries.