In response to growing discontent, the chiefs of parliamentary groups from the parties forming Austria’s right-wing coalition government (ÖVP conservatives and FPÖ extreme–right) announced that their working time bill would be “softened”. The law allows working time to be extended to 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week. However, under the change, it will be clearly stated that the 11th and 12th hours of daily work can only be performed on a voluntary basis. Unions from the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK) believe that the amendment is insufficient, and a protest has been organised for tomorrow, 30 June, by opponents of the bill.
Social discontent over an unclear bill. In the eyes of Walter Rosenkranz, president of the FPÖ parliamentary group, if Saturday’s protest organised by the Federal Chamber of Labour, the Austrian socialist party and other opponents of the working time bill goes ahead, it will be for “tactical” and party-political reasons. Meanwhile his ÖVP counterpart August Wöginger, expressed the view that there is no longer reason to protest, after the change that was made to the bill.
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