Collective Agreements in Austria Before and After COVID-19

Abstract

This research report aims to investigate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the content of collective bargaining agreements in Austria. Like other countries in Europe and across the globe, much of the economic activity was disrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent periods of lockdowns and other safety measures starting from 2020. The crisis situation, perhaps especially during the early phases of the pandemic, made the process of renewing collective agreements sometimes more difficult, but did not have a profound effect on the frequency or success of negotiations, also owing to the consensus-oriented industrial relation system of Austria – for further information see the adjacent BARCOVID country report on Austria (Szüdi, 2023). In addition to the negotiation process (more detailed in the adjacent report), the question to be addressed in this report is whether the COVID-19 pandemic also impacted collective agreement outcomes in Austria.

This report conducts a systematic comparison of altogether 100 collective bargaining agreements from Austria, both pre- and post-COVID-19 (i.e. concluded before and after March 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in European countries). By analysing the presence or absence of specific clauses within these agreements, this report aims to assess how the pandemic has impacted the outcomes of collective bargaining, particularly in specific areas of interest.