Coalition bills receive support from NEOS
Vienna (PK) – Two changes to the labor market were decided in the National Council session and corresponding changes to the law were passed with the votes of the ÖVP, the Greens and NEOS. The first affects Ukrainians: in the future, they will receive the “Red-White-Red Card Plus”, and the obligation to undergo training up to the age of 18 will also apply to Ukrainian young people. The second change affects AMS customers: applications for unemployment benefits and communication between AMS employees and customers will primarily be carried out electronically from July 1, 2025. In addition, job seekers will be required to log into the electronic communication system twice a week to check for incoming messages.
For SPÖ, demands on Ukrainians are too high
“It’s already quite emotional in the morning,” said FPÖ representative Peter Wurm during the debate on agenda item 1. Green Party representative Barbara Neßler justified the government bill as a “perspective for workers from Ukraine to stay”. Specifically, Ukrainians who have been employed full-time for 12 months in the last 24 months are to receive the “Red-White-Red Card Plus”. This allows “unrestricted access to the labor market” because – unlike with the “Red-White-Red Card” – employees are not restricted to a specific company and location, but are allowed to work throughout Austria, explained ÖVP representative Kira Grünberg. “Ukrainians who already work here can then change companies at any time,” she emphasized. Grünberg said that the new regulation would also bring legal certainty for employers.
Josef Muchitsch (SPÖ) did not criticize the government parties’ initiative for giving Ukrainians the “Red-White-Red Card Plus”, but rather for passing a law “where workers are not allowed to stay”. He justified this statement by saying that several requirements for this would be difficult for Ukrainians to meet. One would have to prove a legal right to an apartment, i.e. have either a rental contract or a free housing contract – this is not possible from the basic services. German language skills at level A1 must be available and one must have a monthly net income of 1,800 euros. “A mother with two children, that is far from reality,” explained Muchitsch. He asked what would happen in March 2025 to those who could not meet these requirements.
For FPÖ “Red-White-Red Card plus” not necessary
The Freedom Party also expressed criticism of the government’s proposal. Dagmar Belakowitsch pointed out that the number of unemployed in Austria is currently 351,000 people and criticized the fact that only the group of Ukrainians is being discussed here. She also said that the “Red-White-Red Card” was not necessary because Ukrainians had displaced persons status until March anyway, “which could have been extended.” She accused the governing parties of pushing the Ukrainians forward and “opening the door to refugees from all over the world” and “preferring to look for workers abroad.” “We do not have a shortage of workers,” she said, referring again to the unemployment figures from May.
On this occasion, she once again called for a “remigration commissioner” at EU level.
“We made a promise to Ukraine to help as best we can,” replied Barbara Neßler (Greens). In addition to the easing of access to the labor market under discussion, discussions are currently underway to extend the temporary right of residence to 2026. They have been very generous with regard to refugees from Ukraine, said Peter Wurm (FPÖ). He pointed out that there are “massive changes in the labor market,” an “impending economic crisis, rising unemployment.” These developments will continue to have a negative impact. On this occasion, he commented on the absence of Labor Minister Martin Kocher in the House of Representatives: “That is perhaps the reason why Federal Minister Kocher is skipping the meeting – because he does not want to comment on the negative figures.” In his opinion, the government is “responsible for the negative development in the labor market.” “They are importing problems,” said Wurm.
State Secretary Susanne Kraus-Winkler then spoke up. She explained that Kocher had been at the reconstruction conference for Ukraine in Berlin in recent days and would still be holding talks on the matter today. The State Secretary stressed that the change in the law would give Ukrainians a “perspective for the future” and that companies would also know that they could “keep their employees secure”. In addition, it was not a “large number, a maximum of 7,800 people”. She also defended the “Red-White-Red Card” as the only way to attract and employ people from third countries for jobs where there is a shortage of skilled workers. Which areas these are is constantly being evaluated.
NEOS calls for changes to the “Red-White-Red Card”
NEOS representative Gerald Loacker weighed in on the subject of the “Red-White-Red Card” and the bureaucracy that goes with it. He is convinced that “we have a shortage of workers across the board” that will become even more severe for demographic reasons. The “Red-White-Red Card” in its current form is “the wrong way” for Loacker. He therefore submitted a motion for a resolution calling for the procedure to be “consolidated into one authority” and for the processing time for applications for the “Red-White-Red Card” to be reduced to one week. He received support from the SPÖ in the vote.
The government proposal was supported by the NEOS and adopted without the votes of the FPÖ and SPÖ.
ÖVP and Greens assure: Analogue contacts with the AMS will remain
The next government bill, which was rejected by the Social Democrats, was then discussed. Alois Stöger (SPÖ) followed on from the previous day’s National Council debate on digitization: “Yesterday we discussed how things are for people who do not have access to digital devices. They can no longer access benefits.” It is important that the unemployed have direct contact with people, and the fact that everything is now being done digitally so that “they can get the money” is incomprehensible to the SPÖ National Council member.
ÖVP representative Tanja Graf was irritated: “All we are doing is saying that those who are unemployed will be able to submit their application digitally in the future, they don’t have to go to the AMS. If they don’t have access, they can still go to the AMS and get advice there.” She sees this as a relief and stressed: “We will continue to have both options.”
Dagmar Belakowitsch (FPÖ) did not want to believe this: “Now they are doing it in parallel and then they are gradually reducing social contacts.” The unemployed in particular are a vulnerable group, people in an exceptional psychological situation. The FPÖ MP pleaded for “analogue life in the public sector” and criticized the government’s “no great commitment” to this. Markus Koza (Greens) pointed out that the AMS currently “actually does not provide any care”, but “only deals with bureaucracy”. He was convinced that the law would give AMS employees more time for people who are “more care-intensive”. “We know that it is more likely that they will get back to work if they can look after clients particularly intensively,” said Koza. He also defended the point that job seekers will in future have to check the AMS’s electronic communication system two working days a week to see if they have received a message. This clearly defines how often you have to check, which protects against “arbitrariness” and you don’t have to justify yourself if you don’t respond to job suggestions sent to you on a daily basis.
Kraus-Winkler: The path to the digital future is being prepared
Christian Drobits (SPÖ) doubts that this is a “may” provision, because the text of the law speaks of “priority” when submitting applications in the AMS electronic communication system. A third of the unemployed are demonstrably not fit enough to communicate digitally here, he explained. These conditions are capable of excluding people. NEOS National Councillor Gerald Loacker pointed out that there is already digital access to the AMS. 110 days is the average unemployment period, so many people would quickly have a job again, said the NEOS representative. For Loacker, the measures create “time and space for people who need more support.” FPÖ representative Wurm replied that at the end of the day, access to the AMS would no longer be available. “But what will the carers do then? Is this the first step towards dissolving the AMS?” he asked.
State Secretary Kraus-Winkler insisted once again that this was an “optional” provision. Because the AMS must be given the opportunity to digitize in addition to the many analogue offerings. “They need the decision now so that the AMS has time to establish and implement it,” said the State Secretary. She was convinced that it was a good way to keep both, but that the path to the “digital future is still prepared” – also for generations X, Y and Z, who are growing up with digital applications.
Pia Philippa Beck (independent) was the last to speak. She stressed that people should be the focus and that care should be taken not to “overwhelm” anyone. She also mentioned the issue of data protection, which she sees as an “open flank at the AMS”.
The government bill was rejected by the FPÖ and SPÖ, with the Social Democrats only agreeing to the point on the regulation of work foundations. Alois Stöger (SPÖ) demanded a separate vote on this. (Continuation of the National Council) map
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