Police union challenges new working-time model

Austria’s new police working-time model is entering a test phase, but remains controversial over concerns about pay cuts. ORF reported that Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has announced a doubling of allowances for night and weekend work from 2027, while Salzburg police chief Bernhard Rausch called the increase necessary.

The model will be tested from Tuesday in five districts across Austria, but not in Salzburg. It is scheduled to be introduced nationwide in April 2027 and is intended to provide greater flexibility, more predictable schedules and improved compatibility between work and family life.

Under the new system, more officers are expected to work on Thursday and Friday evenings, with fewer scheduled for Monday and Wednesday afternoons. From January 2027, the allowance for night and weekend shifts will rise from two euros to four euros per hour.

Rausch said the increase recognised the work performed at night and at weekends. The police union said it had demanded the higher allowances for years but warned that the new model could result in gross monthly losses of between 300 and 800 euros for officers.

Andreas Gruber of the Social Democratic Trade Unionists said officers would be assigned more predictable weekend shifts but would consequently receive fewer overtime hours at weekends and at night.

The Interior Ministry said officers would be able to volunteer for overtime through an overtime pool. Rausch rejected the criticism, saying that anyone who wanted to work overtime would still be able to do so and would earn as much as before. Karner also said the 2027 and 2028 budget would not provide for a reduction in overtime hours.

In rural regions, additional patrols will be used to maintain a sufficient police presence. The reform will also reduce the planned changes to 24-hour shifts. Karner said that 50 percent of these shifts would remain schedulable, while the union is calling for officers to be able to work all such long shifts voluntarily.