New government care package
The government presented a new care package at the end of May 2024. The union welcomes the innovations contained in it, but with drawbacks.
Care
The care package
"These are the first steps in the right direction, although we would have expected a bigger hit."
The care package presented by the federal government in mid-2024 was intended to significantly improve the care system in Austria. These include the extension of the nursing scholarship to courses of study at universities of applied sciences, the establishment of a competence centre for the faster recognition of foreign professional qualifications, and facilitation of access to social care professions. In addition, nationwide standards for these professions will be introduced and the competencies of home helpers will be expanded. Substitute care for family caregivers will be made more flexible and can be used on a daily basis. In addition, more transparency will be created in the billing of 24-hour caregivers.
Gerald Mjka sees a long-standing demand of the trade union vida fulfilled. It is positive, for example, that the nursing scholarship to combat the glaring shortage of staff is now also being extended to diploma nursing. "However, the amount of the scholarship still has to be adjusted," says Mjka.
Expansion of competencies without additional remuneration
Sylvia Gassner, chairwoman of the vida Department of Social Services, criticizes the expansion of competences for home help, which is also included in the government's package. In particular, it criticises the fact that no accompanying qualification measures such as extended training and no additional remuneration are mandatory as an incentive.
Care must be recognized as hard work
Mjka and Gassner agree that in the Federal Government's package of measures, a crucial point to make the nursing, health and social care professions more attractive has once again fallen by the wayside: These professions have once again not been recognized as hard work, which is the prerequisite for reaching an earlier retirement age. "A decisive incentive for starting a career is therefore still a long time coming," Mjka demands that nursing, health and social care professions should be able to retire at the age of 60 without deductions.