Austria-wide rallies for bus drivers
Over 7,000 signatures for better working conditions
Bus drivers
On 23.1.2025, the alliance Wir-Fahren-Gemeinsam (#WFG) campaigned for better working conditions for bus drivers with rallies. Under the motto "Because we are worth it!", hundreds of representatives of trade unions and works councils as well as bus drivers and climate protection activists protested throughout Austria in front of the Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) in Vienna and in front of the WKÖ headquarters in Salzburg, Graz, Bregenz, Innsbruck, Linz and Klagenfurt. Among other things, they are calling for a reduction in working hours and a Sunday bonus for bus drivers.
Make the profession more attractive again!
For the campaign, the alliance, consisting of the trade union vida, the Vienna Chamber of Labour and Fridays for Future, among others, collected more than 7,000 declarations of support from bus drivers and passengers, which were handed over to the WKÖ today in the federal capital. The list of their concerns is long: In addition to improvements in working hours and bonuses, they insist on new regulations on night work and generally longer leisure corridors for employees. "We want the profession of bus driver to become attractive again in general," Markus Petritsch of vida summed it up in an interview with the Austria Press Agency (APA).
Protests before next round of collective bargaining
Declaration of Support
Long waiting times, overcrowded buses or no bus service in the countryside? Whether we drive to school, work or shopping: Many of us depend on bus transport every day.
At the same time, the shortage of staff among bus drivers is enormous. We need a transport turnaround NOW - and this is not done with the expansion of the route network or cheap tickets alone. Fair working conditions for drivers are finally needed!
Is that also important to you? Then show your solidarity with the bus drivers with your signature!
The union wants to push through the improvements as part of the collective bargaining negotiations in the bus industry, which will enter the second round on 24 January 2025. In particular, it is concerned here with the night and Sunday surcharges. There is currently displeasure among employee representatives that the Chamber of Commerce wants to discuss the topic in working groups. "These working groups are not binding," criticizes Petritsch, who locates a "delaying tactic" on the employers' side. The 7,000 signatures are just the beginning. Parallel to the collective bargaining negotiations, the alliance will continue to solicit support for bus drivers and their demands, Petritsch announces.
