Austro Control does not implement the recommendations of the Court of Auditors and even increases personnel costs. That causes discussions - also in politics.

While airlines are going through the crisis of their lives and the employees in particular are feeling this in the form of wage cuts, the world of Austro Control looks comparatively beautiful. Because the salaries of around 1.060 employees, which are financed by the airlines' fees, are far above the earnings of comparable federal employees. The Court of Auditors criticized this fact two years ago and called for a reduction in personnel costs. None of this has been implemented to this day. This is now apparent from an as yet unpublished follow-up review held by the courier.

Neither Austro Control nor the higher-level climate protection ministry contributed to reducing the excessive personnel costs and implemented almost none of the recommendations. On the contrary. Personnel expenses even rose from 2015 to 2018 by 49 percent to 224,63 million euros, while the workforce only grew by four percent. The calls for a reform of company pensions based on individual contracts are also getting louder. From 2015 to 2019, the total annual burden on the pension fund increased by 250 percent to 30,6 million euros. 

In addition, the "two-class society" is to be put to an end. People who joined the company by 1996 enjoy more generous pay. Therefore, a more generational collective agreement, which was drafted four years ago, should be introduced. But to this day nothing has happened in this regard. In addition, Austro Control will probably incur losses for the first time in 2019. 

Now at the latest, the alarm bells should be ringing among the parties concerned, according to State Secretary Magnus Brunner, who is responsible for aviation, who sees a need to act: "I hope that the Corona situation has made the workforce aware that it is time to act and everyone have to make a contribution to the renovation. ”A uniform salary scheme and a reform of company pensions are also required for him. He wanted to give the social partners some time until autumn to come up with concrete proposals. Otherwise, one also has to consider legal regulations, so Brunner continues.