Austrians call for €1,700 a month minimum 


Erich Foglar, head of the Austrian union confederation the ÖGB, has called for collective agreements to set €1,700 a month as the lowest monthly rate. This is a 13% increase on the previous target of €1,500 a month, which was set in 2013. 


It is estimated that around 80% of employees in Austria are paid at the equivalent of €1,500 a month or more, with retail employees reaching this threshold at the start of 2015. 


Folgar said a statutory minimum rate, as recently introduced in neighbouring Germany, was not necessary as collective bargaining covered 95% of the Austrian workforce.


€1 = 73p on 17 September