The Vida union is again surprised by the behavior of the state owned Austro-Control. According to the employee representatives, the supervisory board is “only characterized by a wild rumble towards the workforce”. The criticism of the Court of Auditors builds on this and "causes great consternation among the employees".

“The last few weeks in particular have shown how responsible and crisis-conscious the employees of Austro Control have been. Only with their support was it possible to agree on a savings package worth millions in the difficult collective agreement negotiations in order to secure the economic continuity of the company, ”explains Vida specialist group leader Daniel Liebhart. “This behavior has meant that the employees have lost all trust in this control body. The now published criticism of the Court of Auditors builds on this and causes great consternation among the employees. Instead of thanks, you get scolding. Many are wondering whether the control bodies of Austro Control have even recorded the current situation and have understood that only the employees make a contribution to the continued existence of air traffic control in Austria ”.

The union points out that air traffic control is a systemically important infrastructure that is financed entirely from its own income. For example, the ACG earns from the fees that airlines and private pilots have to pay. Liebhart fears that if the motto “costs down, no matter what it costs” is used, Austro Control will have problems finding staff for specialized professions such as pilots, technicians and metrologists in the future.

“For decades, Austro Control has not been able to build up a sustainable workforce in air traffic control. Other air traffic control systems, such as those in Germany, not only offer air traffic controllers better working conditions, but also higher salaries. While the government 'over-subsidized' other companies due to the Corona crisis, Austro Control has not yet received any financial subsidies from its owner. The Court of Auditors should take a closer look at that. The employees have committed themselves to tough austerity measures in order to lead their company through the crisis. For this, a thank you from the Court of Auditors would actually be appropriate and not further uncertainties as with the report that has now been published, ”explains Daniel Liebhart.

An evaluation of the existing collective agreements within the social partnership will take place in the coming months: “We are entering this discussion with an open mind. Of course, this also means that we should look at whether there could be any areas where we find that salaries need to be increased significantly. Advice from outside is pointless here. If the advice of the Court of Auditors had always been followed unconditionally, we would have far fewer hospital beds in Austria today in times of the corona pandemic, for example. “Saving” is a popular motto in certain schools of thought, but not always the most sustainable credo, ”concluded Liebhart.