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Austrian interest groups agree minimum wage deal
Jul 2, 2007, 11:19 GMT
Vienna - Austria's social partners, representing unions and industry on Monday agreed a step-by-step introduction of 1,000-euro gross minimum wages by 2009.
Austria's Trade Chamber and the Trade Union Federation will jointly work at introducing the new regulation, which will be applicable for full-time employees, in the upcoming contract negotiations for the individual industries.
Trade union chief Rudolf Hundstorfer on Monday praised the measure as 'an important step against fighting poverty'.
About 30,000 persons in Austria will benefit, especially employees in the service sector and the textile industry.
The sum corresponds to some 820 euros in net pay, and lies well above minimum social welfare payments.
'In Austria, working has to be worth while,' Trade Chamber president Christoph Leitl said.
Finding an agreement on minium wages, part of a coalition agreement between Social Democrats and conservative People's Party, was left to the interest groups as legally-binding negotiators.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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