What we do
We are the elected representative body for academic and artistic staff, representing, supporting, and advising you on matters within the institution. Monitoring employee rights within the institution is central to our work, and we therefore maintain regular communication with the Rector’s Office. Together with the works council for general staff, we negotiate workplace agreements with the Rector’s Office on your behalf. We are also your first point of contact for questions regarding labor law. Ensuring compliance with the law is essential.
- We represent the university’s academic and artistic staff and their interests!
- We advise and support our colleagues personally!
- We offer services and keep university staff informed!
Advice and Support
Are you experiencing conflicts in the workplace, do you feel you’ve been treated unfairly, or do you have questions about your employment contract? Please feel free to contact your works council! We’ll advise you confidentially, help you protect your interests, and, if you wish, accompany you to meetings. Our goal is to work together to find solutions and help create a fair and pleasant work environment.
You can contact any of us. Please get in touch with us as early as possible so that we can effectively support you with your concerns and in representing your interests. There are several ways to reach us. You can reach out to us via the contact form, opens an external URL in a new window, or directly by email to the chairperson team, opens an external URL in a new window, or to individual members, opens an external URL in a new window. We are happy to accompany you to meetings with your colleague or supervisor and work together to find solutions. In the course of performing their duties, the members of the Works Council are, of course, obligated to protect privacy and thus to maintain confidentiality toward third parties.
It is important to us to create a good and pleasant work environment for everyone, where people enjoy working and where their interests are heard and taken into account. Employee participation is an essential part of this.
Employee representation
The Works Council represents the workforce and participates in ensuring compliance with labor law protections, in the termination of employment relationships, and in decisions regarding personnel matters made by the Rector’s Office, particularly within the framework of works agreements.
- Participation in monitoring compliance with regulations protecting employees,
- Participation in the termination of employment relationships through dismissal or termination, as well as in the mutually agreed termination of employment relationships
- Participation in decisions by the Rectorate (to varying degrees) regarding personnel matters, primarily within the framework of works agreements, as well as, for example, in the introduction of systems for the computer-assisted collection, processing, and transmission of employees’ personal data.
The Works Council is independent, and its members are not bound by any instructions in order to preserve this independence. The legal basis for this can be found in the ArbVG and UG.
How the Works Council Operates
The Works Council for academic and artistic university staff holds monthly meetings to keep all members informed, make decisions, and discuss new developments. In addition to the main meetings, the chairpersons’ team meets weekly (or more frequently as needed). Regular meetings are also held with various members of the Rectorate, particularly the Vice-Rectorate for Human Resources. Furthermore, separate working groups—comprising various members of the Works Council as well as other relevant officials and experts from TU Wien—address specific topics aimed at improving the work environment.
Exchange with other interest groups (Works Council for General Staff, HTU, AKG, etc.) is also important to us, so that staff can be supported as effectively as possible and discrepancies can be identified and resolved early on.
The basis for these activities of the Works Council is primarily the Works Constitution Act (Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz, opens an external URL in a new window). Consequently, the Works Council is independent, and its members are not bound by any instructions in order to preserve this independence.
Legal Basis
The Works Constitution Act (Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz, opens an external URL in a new window/ArbVG) applies to university employees. This act forms the basis for the activities of the Works Council. Consequently, the Works Council is independent, and its members are not bound by any instructions in order to preserve this independence. This and other legal texts can be found in the Legal Information System (Rechtsinformationssystem, opens an external URL in a new window/RIS).
The University Act also stipulates the existence of two works councils. The Works Council for Academic and Artistic University Staff represents the interests of tutors, teaching assistants, project assistants, assistants, lecturers, and professors.
The works council for general university staff, on the other hand, represents the interests of civil servants, contract employees, private employees, project staff, interns, and apprentices. All information for these professional groups can be found on the webpage of the works council for general university staff, opens an external URL in a new window.
Contents of the collective agreement
The collective agreement sets forth the rights and obligations of employers and employees arising from the employment relationship, as well as the pay scales. The provisions in collective agreements, insofar as they govern the legal relationships between employers and employees, may neither be repealed nor restricted by a works agreement or an employment contract. Special agreements, unless excluded by the collective agreement, are valid only to the extent that they are more favorable to the employee or concern matters not regulated in the collective agreement. (ArbVG § 3 (1))
Key provisions in the collective agreement:
- §22 Extended protection against dismissal
- §49 Salary scale for academic and artistic university staff
- §49 (7ff) Teaching assignments in semester hours
Who negotiates the collective agreement?
Representatives of both the employer and employee sides participate in collective bargaining negotiations. In our case, the collective agreement is negotiated by Federal Representation 13 (Bundesvertretung 13 / BV13, opens an external URL in a new window, opens an external URL in a new window) of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (Gewerkschaft des Österreichischen Gewerkschaftsbundes / GÖD, opens an external URL in a new window, opens an external URL in a new window) and the University Federation (Dachverband der Universitäten, opens an external URL in a new window, opens an external URL in a new window).
Downloads
The current collective agreement and the current salary tables can be found here:
- Collective Agreement (16th Edition 2025)
- Salary Tables (effective January 1, 2026)
Contents of the University Act
The University Act (UG 2002) serves as the fundamental legal basis for public universities, opens an external URL in a new window, opens an external URL in a new window. It contains provisions governing organizational matters (e.g., management, financing, governing bodies, etc.), academic programs (e.g., types of programs, admission, examinations, academic degrees, etc.), as well as provisions regarding university staff.
A well-known section of the UG is §109
- §109 Duration of Employment Relationships (Chain Contract Regulation)
Who negotiates the University Act?
The Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung / BMBWF, opens an external URL in a new window, opens an external URL in a new window) drafts proposed amendments to the law. Ultimately, the bill is reviewed by the Science Committee (Wissenschaftsausschuss) and passed by the National Council. The performance agreements (Leistungsvereinbarungen, LV) are not part of the text of the law itself, but they are legally enshrined in the University Act and are negotiated by the rectorate of the respective university (represented by the rector) and the BMBWF.
Downloads/Links?
Contents of the Works Constitution Act
The duties and participation rights of the works council are governed by the Works Constitution Act (Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz, ArbVG) (specifically Sections 89–92a and Sections 98–112). These include representing employees, as well as rights to information, consultation, and participation in personnel, social, and economic matters. This also includes monitoring compliance with labor law provisions (e.g., collective agreements and employee protection), rights to information, participation in occupational health and safety, and involvement in issues such as gender equality and the work-life balance.
Who negotiates the Labor Constitution Act (Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz)?
The Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy (Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Wirtschaft) is responsible for drafting the legislation. Once the social partners agree on key points (or the government proposes a reform), experts at the ministry draft the text. The social partners are, on the employee side, the Chamber of Labor (Arbeiterkammer, AK) and the Austrian Trade Union Federation (Österreichische Gewerkschaftsbund, ÖGB), and on the employer side, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, WKO) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (Industriellenvereinigung, IV).
Downloads/Links