Seal of approval for fair tourism: vida calls for protection of honest businesses and resumption of collective bargaining negotiations
In an open letter to the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the trade union vida calls for the introduction of a binding seal of approval for fair tourism as well as the rapid and respectful resumption of collective agreement negotiations in the industry.
Tourism
The planned seal of approval is intended to make visible and specifically reward those tourism businesses that operate fairly: i.e. offer decent working conditions, comply with collective bargaining standards, act correctly in terms of tax and social security law – and thus actively contribute to the protection of the welfare state .
Strengthening fair farms instead of protecting black sheep
"Austrian tourism thrives on hundreds of thousands of employees and thousands of businesses that work honestly every day. It is precisely these companies that deserve protection, recognition and concrete advantages – not those that distort competition and damage the welfare state through systematic fraud," emphasizes Roman Hebenstreit, chairman of the trade union vida.
A seal of approval for fair tourism would not only be a signal to consumers, but also an effective instrument against wage and social dumping. Those who work fairly should benefit from it – economically, reputatively and politically. Those who gain advantages by breaking the rules must no longer be rewarded.
Collective agreement negotiations are not a concession, but a duty
At the same time, the trade union vida is calling for the resumption of collective bargaining negotiations. "If you want to strengthen tourism, you also have to strengthen the people who support it. Continuing negotiations is not a concession, but a question of respect for the employees," said Hebenstreit.
Especially in an industry that has been struggling for years with staff shortages, high fluctuation and increasing workloads, binding rules, fair wages and reliable working conditions are needed – not stalling tactics.
The wording of the open letter
To the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ)
Hotel Industry Association & Gastronomy Association
Attn: Mr. Georg Imlauer & Mr. Alois Rainer
Wiedner Hauptstraße 63, 1045 Vienna
Vienna, 6.2.2026
Subject:
Facts instead of sensitivities
Our proposal for clean tourism
Dear Sirs,
To our regret, you have publicly refused to negotiate collective agreements for more than 200,000 tourism workers, and are demanding an apology from the union as a condition for starting wage negotiations. In this regard, we take the liberty of stating that the facts we made transparent were public in the media and are known to correspond to the facts.
In our opinion, we are therefore conducting a "dispute about the emperor's beard" at what point a significant accumulation of individual cases becomes a system. We see it as unavoidable in the interests of honest companies in the industry as well as in the interest of taxpayers - cases like those uncovered in January 2026 - according to which fraudulent software was developed that specifically deletes bookings and, according to media reports, has been actively used by a three-digit number of businesses to name it for what it is. In criminal law, a criminal organization is when several people join forces to commit crimes on a continuous basis. If operating resources are invested directly in criminal energy in order to damage the welfare state, one must be allowed to call a spade a spade.
The fact that you are now blocking the negotiations for around 200,000 employees because you do not like the naming of these facts alienates us. The times when employees were held jointly liable for the alleged misconduct of their professional representation should be behind us.
We offer you a constructive and objective way out:
We see from your statements that we share an interest: We want to fight the "black sheep" because they cause unacceptable damage to the industry, the welfare state and thus to the people in this country. The trade union vida has exchanged ideas with an honest domestic software company and had a tamper-proof, certifiable software solution developed, which is also fully accepted by the employee protection authorities.
Let's work together to develop a seal of approval for honest companies. Our vision:
- Certified transparency:
Anyone who bears this seal proves that they act honestly and offer fair working conditions.
- Better position:
Companies with this seal are to be noticeably relieved and enjoy advantages.
- Protection of the honest:
Together, we separate the wheat from the chaff and protect those companies that play by the rules of the game and invest in quality from unfair competition.
- Implementing the government programme:
Let's start implementing the "Package of measures to increase fairness towards employees and make good employers visible" anchored in the government programme. Let us also use the campaign "Team Tourism – Strong Industry, Your Chance" agreed in the government programme with a focus on the appreciation of tourism employees to implement an industry-wide strong quality mechanism.
Let's put the emotions aside and work together on this seal of approval. Let's return to the negotiating table to work out fair solutions for the industry and the employees. Let's work together so that we can all be proud of this industry that is so central to this country.
There is a lot to do. Let's tackle it together.
With union greetings
Roman Hebenstreit
Chairman of the trade union vida
