New collective agreement: 2.75% wage increase for 60,000 workers!

New collective agreement: 2.75% wage increase for 60,000 workers!

In a long and tough process, employers and employees of the electrical and electronics industry in Austria have negotiated a new collective agreement. After the fifth round of negotiations on Friday evening, both sides were finally able to reach an agreement. This new collective agreement, which came into force retrospectively from May 1, 2025, brings some significant changes for the approximately 60,000 employees in the industry.

wages are raised by a total of 2.75 percent, the average increase in wage is 2.15 percent. The increase in wages and salaries by 3 percent is particularly gratifying, which also includes apprenticeship salaries. In addition, the allowances for the second and third layers also increase by 3 percent. A significant innovation is to increase the mileage to 50 cents, whereby 0.47 cents are paid for those who drive over 15,000 kilometers a year. [Nachrichten.at reports that…] (https://www.nachrichten.at/wirtschaft/elektro-industrie-neuer-kollective contract-nach-zaehen-mandungen ;art15,4058422).

a compromise for both sides

Although the pressure on the negotiations was great, since employers had only offered a maximum wage increase of 1.5 percent in the inflation of 2.76 percent, the agreement was ultimately emphasized as a good compromise. This step is particularly important in view of the declines in order incoming and exports in the industry. Unions such as Pro-GPA had campaigned for higher wage increases and better framework conditions, which had led to heated discourses in recent weeks. [GPA emphasizes that…] (https://www.gpa.at/kollective contract/ industrie/elektro/2025/elektro-und-elektroni industry 2025–ab-montag- company assembly).

Some companies in economic difficulties may limit the wage increase to a maximum of 50 percent of the actual increase. The rest can be compensated for as a one -off payment or by free time. This regulation has been extended by five years and offers companies more flexibility.

The situation of the industry

The negotiators were under strong pressure during the last rounds. Company meetings in May had great participation in which the dissatisfaction of the employees became clear. For many employees, the zero round is kept threatening to the economic recovery, which significantly affects the purchasing power of the employees. The unsatisfactory offers of employers also contributed to the general unrest. [Industriemagazin reports on…] (https://industriemagazin.at/elektronik industry/kollective contract-fuenfent-zaufungs-in-der-Elektro-and-electronics industrial-strike-not excluded/).

companies such as Siemens and AT&S were particularly the focus of the unions, which had called for a strong wage increase and a reduction in working hours. In this tense situation, the death of Karl Dürtscher, an experienced negotiator of the GPA, reinforced the concerns about the future of employees. Dürtscher was an important player in numerous collective contracts and his loss is strongly felt in the industry.

This new collective agreement is now a key to mastering the challenges of the industry and offering the employees fair conditions. At a time when the electrical and electronics industry is fighting with high costs and falling export numbers, this compromise could be crucial for the stability of the industry.