From February 1, 2025, the salaries of university employees covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement for University Staff (Uni-KV) will be increased by 3.8%. This solely covers the average inflation of the observing period and does not mean a real salary increase. The salaries of civil servants were already increased by 3.5% as of 1.1.2025.

In addition to this general valorization, there are further adaptations in the Collective Bargaining Agreement in the so-called "B scheme". This salary scheme covers teaching and research associates (predocs), assistant professors (postdocs without qualification agreement), senior lecturer, senior scientist as well as project staff (predocs and postdocs) and also lecturers with an employment contract with WU (see § 48 Uni-KV).

The remuneration in the so far last salary level according to § 49 para. 3 lit d Uni-KV (shown on the electronic pay slip as B1 05) was already increased by € 231.70 to € 5,751.10 gross (for full-time employment) with effect from 1.1.2025. In addition, a further salary level has been introduced to the B scheme since 1.1.2025, to which employees advance after eight years in B1 05. This new B1 06 level has a gross salary of € 6,251.10 per month (for full-time employment) from 1.1.2025. However, a so-called absorption clause applies to these two changes in the B scheme (see § 81 para. 25 last sentence Uni-KV). According to this clause, any existing overpayments are offset against the increases from level B1 05 and B1 06. It should be noted that such an absorption clause directly in the Collective Bargaining Agreement is a very unusual approach in Austria. Usually, absorption clauses are found in the employment contracts, where it states to what extent salary increases in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement are not taken into account due to an individual overpayment that has been granted. However, it is of course possible to stipulate in an individual agreement that this absorption provided for in the Collective Bargaining Agreement does not take place. From February 1, 2025, the values in B1 05 and B1 06 will also be increased by the general 3.8 %. Further information on the salary tables from 1.1.2025 and 1.2.2025 can be found here (in German).

These changes to the B-scheme described above naturally also have an impact on the special salary schemes in place at WU for certain academic employees, specifically those for senior lecturer postdoc and for assistant professors with development agreement (EV). These salary schemes already provide for general overpayments above the minimum wages stipulated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, the absorption clause mentioned above means that the WU salary scheme for senior lecturer postdoc is currently only limited to granting a gross salary increase of € 26.30 (as of January 2025; for the senior lecturer postdoc salary scheme see here) after a total of 32 years as a senior lecturer postdoc. Otherwise, from January 1, 2025, the salaries of senior lecturer postdoc will once again correspond to the minimum wages according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

With regard to the effects of this absorption clause on the salaries of assistant professors with EV (see here for the corresponding salary scheme), a number of questions arose that we have already addressed with the Vice-Rector for Human Resources. We will further inform you about these details as soon as these questions have been clarified. What needs to be mentioned again in this context, however, is that the only tenure track instrument below university professors provided for in the KV is the qualification agreement (QV; § 27 Uni-KV) and that the tenure track instrument “development agreement” is not recognized by the Uni-KV. With a QV, however, you move to salary level A2 of the Uni-KV, which already provides for significantly higher monthly remuneration and shorter advancement periods (namely every six years instead of every eight years as in the B scheme; see § 49 para. 2 Uni-KV).

^30.01.2025

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