Austria
The ITUC affiliate in Austria is the Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund.
Austria ratified Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association
freedom of association
The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) in 1950 and Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining
collective bargaining
The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
(1949) in 1951.
Legal
Freedom of association / Right to organise
Anti-Union discrimination
The law prohibits anti-union discrimination.
Freedom of association
The right to freedom of association is enshrined in the Constitution.
Right to collective bargaining
Right to collective bargaining
The right to collective bargaining is enshrined in the Constitution.
Right to strike
Right to strike
The right to strike is enshrined in the Constitution.
In practice
According to ÖGB, members of works councils have in some instances been the target of intimidation or even threats of dismissal by employers. ÖGB reports one case in 2019 where the company threatened workers with the relocation of the production outside of Austria so that they would not elect a new works council works council 1. A body elected to represent the interests of workers within a workplace through communication and consultation with the employer e.g. concerning working conditions and health and safety issues. 2. A joint council composed of representatives of both workers and the employer for workplace-level discussions on matters of common interest. . Faced with this threat, employees did not vote, and as a result, there are no more workers’ representatives in this enterprise.