30 April 2023

Vienna Insight on occasion of Labor Day and the demands for a minimum wage in Austria

Tomorrow is Labor Day, an official holiday in Austria. Labor Day is celebrated with marches and large events attended by thousands of Viennese. In recent years, International Workers' Day, as the special day was named in the 19th century to commemorate workers' struggle for their rights, has lost its importance in Austria. Many have forgotten that people once fought for today's achievements of a fair society - and that some are still fighting for more justice and equality.

Fashion.at was looking for news or stories related to Labor Day and recalled an encounter with a representative of the Austrian state who recommended taking on the duties of a porter. What are the duties of a porter or receptionist - in a Viennese hotel, for example? The government, through its administration, defines the tasks and the value of professions. The representative didn't say that the work at Fashion.at is comparable to the job of a porter but it may have some similarities to the tasks of a receptionist in a hotel. The representative did not specify the work of a porter. Porters can also be found in large companies or shopping malls. A more apt comparison of the work at Fashion.at is that of a hotel receptionist, which is true in several respects, such as that Fashion.at gives its 'visitors' tips on where interesting art exhibitions are taking place, where a new restaurant or new shops with a focus on fashion and design have opened, or where dance, theatre and catwalk shows can be booked. The magazine is a kind of check-in to the culture of Austria and offers a behind-the-scenes look at 'Austrian fashion', whereby the term 'fashion' is defined very broadly at Fashion.at.

To get a more realistic view of the current job market demand for receptionists, Fashion.at searched for hotels in Vienna with the filter porters, receptionists. To search for vacancies, Fashion.at used the special website Alle Jobs (jobs.ams.at) of the Official Labor Market Service of Austria. The website Alle Jobs was launched in April 2021. It compiles job offers from various sources. Today, one of the first search results that appeared for the location Vienna is a 4 star hotel in the 1st district looking for people for the position of a night porter or receptionist who has already gained experiences in the hotel or restaurant industry. Knowledge of German and English is mandatory, any other foreign language is welcome. The duties of a night porter or receptionist in the hotel are guest check-in and guest relations as well as the willingness to work weekends. The salary for a full-time position (40 hours per week) is 1,800 euros gross, which equates to a net income of 1,454.44 euros. The level of payment is common and can also be found in another job advertisement for a night porter in a hotel in the 7th district. The gross salary here is 1,853 euros, with an additional 24 euros for the night shift. The job description is similar to that of the hotel in the 1st district and includes, in addition to guest-related services, administrative tasks and security patrols in the hotel. The job of a porter does not require higher education, and the salary is well paid compared to jobs with necessary university degree. Many employees in the cultural industry, for example, are paid below this level. According to official statistics on the cost of living, the poverty line is about 1,400 euros net per month.

The demand for a minimum net income of 1,700 euros has been a topic in Austrian politics for years, as there is no federal minimum wage in Austria, but according to the minimum wage in collective agreements, the gross wage should not be less than 1,500 euros per month. In recent months, the demanded net wage has been raised to 2,000 due to the higher cost of living. The minimum wage is a particular issue for the SPÖ, the Social Democratic Party of Austria - also known as the Workers' Party - which has been fighting for better living and working conditions, equality, justice and solidarity for more than 130 years (founded in 1889).

Workers' Day on 1 May is strongly associated with the social democratic movement. To commemorate the achievements of the labor movement, SPÖ organizes a walk every 1st May from the 23 districts of Vienna to the Rathausplatz in front of the City Hall. A map with link to more information about meeting times and places is published on Instagram.

Images: Fashion.at generated the pictures of a 'Stylish receptionist in a Viennese hotel' today, the 30th April 2023 on Letsenhance.io (letsenhance.io/image-generation).