Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Calls to raise minimum wage, the government clashes with prosecutors over employees' data, an escaped kangaroo and more news from Austria on Thursday.
Austrian federal government against prosecutors
Austria's Chancellery has said they won't comply with an order of the public prosecutor's office (WKStA, the area of the office that deals with corruption cases) to pass on data of dozens of employees.
In August, the WKStA issued a seizure order to the Chancellor's Office, demanding the handover of masses of data from dozens of employees. On Thursday, the Chancellor's Office informed the responsible senior public prosecutor that it would not comply with this request.
The request for data was too vague to be complied with without violating the rights of the persons concerned, the government claimed.
The investigation concerns suspicions that persons around the then Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, beginning in 2016, had used public funds to have manipulated opinion polls to use them to promote Kurz's rise to ÖVP leader and Federal Chancellor.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why was Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz forced to resign?
Escaped kangaroo is back at Vorarlberg zoo
Who says that there are no kangaroos in Austria? "Rudi", a kangaroo that escaped from the Doppelmayr Zoo in Wolfurg (Vorarlberg), was returned to its enclosure this Wednesday, Austrian media reported.
The zoo reported missing the animal on Friday. Rudi has since been observed hopping around the Bildstein area near the zoo.
This is not the first time an escaped kangaroo has made headlines in Austria.
Wien Energie has not used the federal loan yet
Wien Energie has not yet needed the €2 billion credit line granted by the federal government, a spokeswoman of Economic and Financial City Councillor Peter Hanke (SPÖ) said.
However, the state-run energy provider has tapped into the €1.4 billion loans offered by the City of Vienna, public broadcaster ORF reported.
Wien Energie's acute financial need became public after the utility asked the federal government for cash as prices in international markets soared. In addition, the need for collateral for settling transactions on the energy exchanges had risen sharply in the short term due to increasing electricity and gas.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Why did Wien Energie ask for €6 billion from the Austrian government?
Calls for an increase in the minimum wage
The head of the trade union ÖGB, Wolfgang Katzian, has called for an increase in the minimum wage to €2,000 due to rising inflation.
The union and sector representatives are set for a talk on wages and the so-called collective agreement that rules relations between specific unions and Austrian industries in the coming weeks, ORF said.
Currently, some 180,000 workers receive less than €1,700 gross a month. Katzian said he expects negotiations to be "very difficult" this year.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s ‘Tax Freedom Day’?
Weather forecast for Thursday
Screenshot from ZAMG
Especially in the east, the afternoon will have dense clouds, rain and thunderstorms, Austria's meteorologic institute ZAMG forecasts. From Vorarlberg to Upper Austria, the clouds will clear and the showers will subside. In Vienna, the afternoon will bring dense clouds, showers and thunderstorms. In the evening, however, the weather calms down again.
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
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Austrian federal government against prosecutors
Austria's Chancellery has said they won't comply with an order of the public prosecutor's office (WKStA, the area of the office that deals with corruption cases) to pass on data of dozens of employees.
In August, the WKStA issued a seizure order to the Chancellor's Office, demanding the handover of masses of data from dozens of employees. On Thursday, the Chancellor's Office informed the responsible senior public prosecutor that it would not comply with this request.
The request for data was too vague to be complied with without violating the rights of the persons concerned, the government claimed.
The investigation concerns suspicions that persons around the then Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, beginning in 2016, had used public funds to have manipulated opinion polls to use them to promote Kurz's rise to ÖVP leader and Federal Chancellor.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why was Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz forced to resign?
Escaped kangaroo is back at Vorarlberg zoo
Who says that there are no kangaroos in Austria? "Rudi", a kangaroo that escaped from the Doppelmayr Zoo in Wolfurg (Vorarlberg), was returned to its enclosure this Wednesday, Austrian media reported.
The zoo reported missing the animal on Friday. Rudi has since been observed hopping around the Bildstein area near the zoo.
This is not the first time an escaped kangaroo has made headlines in Austria.
Wien Energie has not used the federal loan yet
Wien Energie has not yet needed the €2 billion credit line granted by the federal government, a spokeswoman of Economic and Financial City Councillor Peter Hanke (SPÖ) said.
However, the state-run energy provider has tapped into the €1.4 billion loans offered by the City of Vienna, public broadcaster ORF reported.
Wien Energie's acute financial need became public after the utility asked the federal government for cash as prices in international markets soared. In addition, the need for collateral for settling transactions on the energy exchanges had risen sharply in the short term due to increasing electricity and gas.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Why did Wien Energie ask for €6 billion from the Austrian government?
Calls for an increase in the minimum wage
The head of the trade union ÖGB, Wolfgang Katzian, has called for an increase in the minimum wage to €2,000 due to rising inflation.
The union and sector representatives are set for a talk on wages and the so-called collective agreement that rules relations between specific unions and Austrian industries in the coming weeks, ORF said.
Currently, some 180,000 workers receive less than €1,700 gross a month. Katzian said he expects negotiations to be "very difficult" this year.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s ‘Tax Freedom Day’?
Weather forecast for Thursday
Especially in the east, the afternoon will have dense clouds, rain and thunderstorms, Austria's meteorologic institute ZAMG forecasts. From Vorarlberg to Upper Austria, the clouds will clear and the showers will subside. In Vienna, the afternoon will bring dense clouds, showers and thunderstorms. In the evening, however, the weather calms down again.
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
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