Fundamental rights related to social partners

The Austrian social partners noted that social legislation was being properly implemented: 98 % of all employees were covered by trade union agreements and minimum wages were in place; 99 % of Austrian companies honoured minimum wage agreements.

Regarding freedom of assembly, the social partners reported that the law had been changed in 2017 and had become more restrictive towards third-country nationals (the so-called Lex Erdogan bans foreign political campaigns and rallies in Austria).

The social partners noted that the 2018 Working Time Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz), which increased working hours to 12 per day and 60 hours per week, legalised a formerly illegal practice in certain companies, weakening the rights of trade unions and employees. The law had been adopted without consulting the social partners. The representative of the relevant public authority explained that discussions on this proposal had been ongoing since 2013, without any solution being reached, and this had eventually led to it being adopted without proper consultation.