Austria: salary increases and a reorganization of salary categories in store for 130,000 workers in the Commerce sector

On 27 November, the Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO) Commerce sector together wit the services union Vida agreed on salary increases and a reorganization of salary categories for 130,000 workers in the Commerce sector. Working alongside the sector’s roughly 380,000 employees, are ‘workers’; a group including shopkeepers, preparation workers, delivery drivers, and other professions within the logistics segment whose work is integral to the sector’s businesses. The new agreement’s salary element is valid for one year from 01 January 2020 and includes salary increases ranging between 2.5% for the lowest salaries, and 2.2% for the highest salaries. In addition, and in order to take consumer habits into account so that ordering and delivery hours can be extended, employees working between 13.00 and 18.00 on Saturdays will see pay for these hours increased by 50%. Furthermore and in order to take into account changes in certain professions, as well as to clarify salary structures, the number of salary categories will ultimately be halved. From 2020 the number of categories will drop from 10 currently to 8, and then in 2021 they will fall further from 8 to 5.