Upper Austrian Social Democrats (SPÖ) submitted a bill that would impose some companies to hire preferably older job seekers. Specifically, it would be companies with fifty or more employees which should employ at least one in ten workers over 60 years od age. They submitted the bill to the government coalition of SPÖ and People's Party (ÖVP) to consider it in the current negotiations on the state savings package.
Erich Foglar, head of the Austrian Trade Union Federation ÖGB, supported the initiative. Mere recommendations for companies to hire older workers are, according to him, completely ineffective in practice and the unemployment of the older generation is very high.
Results of the government's austerity measures will be known at the end of February. In addition to changes in labor legislation, the measures will also include arrangements for taxation of individuals with above-average incomes or a decision on the reintroduction of university tuition fees.
-kk-