Austrian labor unions gear up to fight the [highly profitable] companies

[republicanism]

Wow, a strike in Austria!? Could easily be the only one in my lifetime.

It's not the moment for asking for a salary increase.

It's never "the moment" if you ask the employers and their apologists.

In recession, it is not "the moment" because well, it is recession. When economy is grwoing a little, it is not the moment because higher wages would starve the growth.
During boom times, it is not the moment because business has to recover from the precedent recession. Etc...

In fact, employees need to fight for as much as they can get, at any time.

[republicanism]

Yeah, the FPÖ is increasingly the party of the workers.

One of the two parties of workers.

I remember the results of the last Vienna elections, in districts like Favoriten and Simmering, SPÖ and FPÖ together had about 85% of the vote, ÖVP and Greens in single digits.

[republicanism]

The talks have ended with a result:

Wage groups A & B will get a pay rise of 5.3% (low income, minimum-wage metal workers)

Wage groups C & D will get a pay rise of 4.3%

Wage groups E & F will get a pay rise of 4.2%

Wage group G will get a pay rise of 4.0%

Wage groups H, I, J, K will get a pay rise of 3.8% (high-income metal workers)

The minimum wage for metal workers will rise from 1515€ (2120$) to 1583€ (2220$) a month.

The Unions also bargained a better imputation of maternal leave times, so that women who have kids will now get faster into higher wage brackets like before. For each kid, the maternal leave imputation has been raised from 10 months to 16 months.

I approve.