Campaign Health: Time – Pressure – Humanity

Among other things, the trade unions are demanding a reduction in working hours to 35 hours per week with full wage and salary compensation in the foreseeable future. Together, they also advocate that an employment relationship already exists during training, which is paid in such a way that people can also make a living from it.

"We have already had good experience with this at the Med Campus. The model of employing colleagues as department assistants, for example, and at the same time having them do an apprenticeship often makes it possible to gain a higher professional qualification," confirms Michael Gruber, Chairman of the Workers' Works Council of Med Campus Linz. "We want to express our demands for better working conditions in the care, nursing and health professions. We urgently need more staff in these areas and this will only be possible if the conditions improve quickly," says the managing director of GPA Upper Austria, Wolfgang Gerstmayr.

With statements from works councillors from the affected areas and an oversized poster on the trade union building, the campaign with around 120 works councillors was launched in spring 2024, which was followed by a postcard campaign in the companies. A QR code takes employees and interested parties to a website with the demands and the opportunity to submit a declaration of support.

Together, the trade unions also advocate that there should be an employment relationship during training that is paid in such a way that people can also live on it. "This is the basis for finally introducing a binding, transparent and needs-oriented personnel assessment model – preferably throughout Austria. Until this is implemented nationwide, we need immediate measures in Upper Austria," says Christian Jedinger, regional chairman of the younion trade union. In addition, it must be ensured that greater roster stability is achieved and that deviations from duty rosters are better compensated. A particular concern of the trade unions is to extend the entitlement to heavy labour pensions in the care, nursing and health professions.

The demands in detail:

• Reduction of working hours to 35 hours per week with full wage compensation in the foreseeable future
• Introduction of a binding, transparent and needs-oriented personnel assessment model (preferably throughout Austria)
• Consequences of non-compliance with the staffing ratios:
• Introduction of relief measures for employees for short-term work under minimum personnel calculation
• otherwise temporary reduction of offers
• Until the introduction of a nationwide regulation, immediate measures in the province; Co-determination and control by staff representatives and works council.
• Measures to improve roster stability
• Better compensation for roster deviations

In addition, for the long-term sector:

• Significant increase in the care ratio, taking into account the changed clinical pictures (dementia, mental illnesses) and quality assurance.
• No inclusion of support staff in the care ratio and expansion of specialist staff
• Mandatory consideration of actual absences
• pregnant employees
• Consider disability level above 50%
• Calculate practical instructions and training times from key
• Increase in minimum night duty staffing
• Daily updated personnel calculations
• Shortened calculation of the care ratio
• Remuneration within the framework of training (employment relationship during training)
• Training and further education: Make the necessary time available for legally required further training as working time.
• Extension of entitlement to a heavy labour pension