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13. 02. 13. - 14:00

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13. 02. 13. - 14:00

Debate about seasonal workers has started

The Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO) counters a statement of the head of the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK) that seasonal workers would take away jobs from Austrians. The WKO said that it was a "sad debate" and "nonsense".

Siegfried Pichler, president of the AK in Salzburg and trade union official, refuses to take on more chefs and waiters from Non-EU countries. They would only come to Austria for the tourist seasons.

Mr Pichler instead suggested taking on workers from EU-countries in Eastern Europe such as Hungary.

The gastronomy and hotel industry, however, are warning that, without the help of these men and women, tourism in Austria would economically not be possible any more.

An example is the Moroccan chef Habib, who works as a chef in a popular hotel restaurant in Hintersee, Salzburg.

The man from North Africa started working with several contracts over the period of six months. He had to leave Austria for two months per year. Habib, who speaks good German, has already received a permission to stay for the whole year.

Habib’s boss Albert Ebner, who is also the spokesperson of the tourism department of the WKO, dismisses Mr Pichler’s proposal.

He thinks that seasonal workers from countries outside of the EU have become indispensable for Austria. Mr Ebner sees the cause for the problem in the fact that there are no more Austrian workers in qualified professions or unskilled labour.

The Social Partners agreed to hire 800 workers from Non-EU-countries for this year’s winter season.

Sepp Schellhorn, a restaurateur and member of the Austrian Association for Hotel Business, called Mr Pichler’s proposal a "xenophobic nonsense".

Austrian Times

Police raid dairy headquarters
A raid in the second largest Austrian dairy NÖM, which started on 15 May, was terminated yesterday (Thur) afternoon. Employees of the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) are still in the headquarters in Baden.

Austrian on trial over Aldi blackmail
The trial of a 61-year-old man from Salzburg, who blackmailed the company Aldi South, started yesterday (Wed) in Duisburg, Germany. The defendant has already admitted that he demanded 15 million Euros from the firm.

State secretary denies interfering over Baumgartner taxes
The extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner stated that the Ministry of Finance spared him additional taxation by political intervention. The former Financial Secretary Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP) denies these claims.

Search for trapped after Felbertauern rockfall
The Felbertauern road in Tyrol, Western Austria, has been closed completely after rock fall last night (Mon). Rock came down on the East Tyrol side just before 2 a.m. It completely destroyed an avalanche gallery.

Delunamagma creditors to lose most of their investment
The creditors of the technology firm Delunamagma Industries GmbH from Bludesch-Gais, Vorarlberg (Western Austria) will lose the majority of their money in the bankruptcy proceedings.

SPÖ Salzburg votes for new party leader
The current health and social state councillor Walter Steidl has been elected the new head of the Social democratic party of Salzburg yesterday (Mon).

SPÖ see devastating loss after weekend election
The SPÖ lost a huge amoung of votes in the Salzburg state election yesterday (Sun). The party of Governor Gabi Burgstaller only achieved 23.81%, which is a loss of 15.58% compared to 2009. Even though the ÖVP lost more than seven percent, they came first. The Green Party is a winner of this election.

VAT fraudster arrested in Germany
The police of Flachgau, state of Salzburg, arrested a presumed fraudster from Germany. The 35-year-old is suspected of having committed tax evasion as the head of a European-wide operating union.

Finance scandal reason for early election
The financial scandal in Salzburg has been hotly debated since last December. Many people lost their trust in the government and this has led to early elections on 5 May.

TV show reveals the dark side to energy drink Red Bull
A documentary of the "Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen" (ARD), which was shown on TV on Monday night, deals with the dark side of the company Red Bull. It is about risky spectacles with a deadly end.