Since three years the Gmundner Ceramics is in the red. Backward sales bring the company in a deep crisis.

Now a new export concept should bring the enterprise out of the debts again. The manager expects an increase in sales of five percent up to 10,1 mio EUR.

Chinese competitors with cheap ceramic products, started to ruin the Austrian business three years ago. The people are now sick of those products, and start to buy products from Austria again. This brings some hope for the company.

Gmundner Ceramics exists since 1903, and employs 200 workers who manufacture 2,6 mio plates, cups and vases every year.

20.000 employees in trade and industry as well as more than 10.000 in free professions are affected.

Christoph Leitl who is the president of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber was unsure if he should give his agreement or not. “I am not so sure if such a minimum wage is adequate”, he said after the talks with the social partners.

Austria should be ready for the new law in 2009.

The special payments of the 13th and 14th monthly salary are not included in the 1.000 EUR. With both special payments the minimum level of the statutory wage is 1167 EUR monthly.

The new statutory minimum wages per hour amounts 6 EUR.

“Should both clubs from Graz disappear from the first league, we are going to cancel the contract”, says one speaker of the internet TV and telephone company.

At the moment UPC pays about 100.000 EUR every year to be the namebearer of the home ground of both clubs. The name was changed from “Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadion” into “UPC Arena” one year ago, when the governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was born close to Graz, was not good enough anymore to have the ground labeled according to his name.

The two Graz football clubs Sturm Graz and Grazer AK are still in financial and sporting troubles.

One average earning single person in Austria, who cost his employer 100 EUR, has a remaining sum of only 51,90 EUR after the subtraction of taxes and social insurance contribution in 2006. 6 years before the sum was 52,70 EUR.

Only in Belgium, Germany, Hungary amd France the subtractions are higher. For single persons without children the subtraction from their gross wages is one fourth higher over the OECD average.

Wednesday, 21th February 2006