7.5% Pay Lift For Austrian Lift Co Workers From May 1st

The vida union again achieves a real wage increase for 18,000 lift co workers - the agreement makes the job profile more attractive

Despite difficult conditions, the vida union was able to achieve a wage increase of 7.5 percent for the 18,000 cable car workers across Austria. “This results in an average wage increase of 207 euros from May 1, 2024,” says Walter Bacher, head of the Vida union’s collective bargaining team. The average inflation underlying the negotiations in the period from March 2023 to February 2024 is 6.8 percent. “With our KV agreement, we were able to achieve a significant increase in real wages again this year,” says Bacher, pointing out the ongoing above-average inflation in Austria.

“As in all sectors, we rely on having sufficient and well-trained staff. “Pleasingly, 252 new apprentices decided to take up the ropeway technology apprenticeship last year,” explains Bacher, who is also chairman of the vida ropeway professional group committee and has been employed by the Gletscherbahnen Kaprun since 1989. “That’s why we’re particularly pleased,” Bacher continued, “that with this qualification we were also able to increase apprentice incomes accordingly in order to make a corresponding contribution to the attractiveness of the cable car technology apprenticeship.” Kajetan Uriach, regional manager of the vida union in Salzburg, adds: “ Apprentices now start their training with 1,244 euros in the 1st year of training, 1,452 euros in the 2nd year, 1,659 euros in the 3rd year of training and 2,074 euros in the last and 4th year of training.”

Through a change in the benefit-in-kind scheme for cable car users, vida was also able to achieve improvements in travel discounts. “Together with this clarification and the expansion of the wage scheme, which we had already agreed on last winter, we have once again achieved a very good KV agreement,” says Uriach, who is also satisfied with the agreed arrangement.