vida unionist protests against short-sighted solutions to staff shortages: “Working conditions are being ignored”
Vienna (OTS) – The shortage of staff in tourism is particularly evident during the summer months. The government regularly responds by increasing the seasonal quota for workers from other EU countries. This time, 200 additional seasonal workers are to be added to the current 4,295, as Economics Minister Martin Kocher announced on Wednesday. Berend Tusch, head of the tourism department at the vida trade union, sharply criticizes this plan: “This government measure is neither creative nor sustainable. We firmly reject regularly increasing the quota of seasonal workers from abroad and ignoring working conditions.”
Sufficient workers in Austria
“By increasing the seasonal quota, Labor Minister Kocher, together with State Secretary Kraus-Winkler, is primarily supporting the interests of the economy,” criticizes vida union member Tusch. In Austria, there are enough job seekers and those who want to return to the tourism industry. He emphasizes that the labor market needs a balance between supply and demand. “The government and employers’ representatives should finally make jobs in tourism more attractive, instead of always relying on increasing the seasonal quota. The work must be valued: it requires appropriate wages and stable working conditions, as well as measures to extend the season. This is the only way to keep workers from the respective region in the industry. It is not without reason that tourism is an industry from which workers are fleeing,” says Tusch.
Inquiries & Contact:
Cornelia Groiss
Mobil: +43 664 6145 756
E-Mail: cornelia.groiss@vida.at
www.vida.at
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