Indicator history

The Austrian unions are very reluctant in supporting and/or defending the rights of migrants. Only since 2006 all employees have the right of full active and passive participation in elections to the workers' councils and the Chamber of Labour. It has also to be mentioned that the unions are involved in the evaluation process of laws and members and representatives of the unions are either MPs or have important positions in political parties. Therefore the unions were involved in passing anti-migration-laws and restricting the labour market for foreign nationals.

There is only one union which has a sub-organization on migration. The Union of Private Sector Employees, Graphical Workers and Journalists (Gewerkschaft der Privatangestellten) has established an interest group (work@migration), which is a platform organised by migrants supporting other migrants. Work@migration is promoting legal reforms enhancing migrants (labour) rights, political participation and educational rights of migrations and legal reforms in civil law (marriage law).

Sources: http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/Index&n=GPA_4.7.1; http://kulturrisse.at/ausgaben/creative-bubbles/kulturpolitiken/gewerkschaften-und-rassismus