Labour chamber secures 7,500 euros for apprentice

The Carinthian Chamber of Labour secured a gross payment of nearly 7,500 euros for an apprentice after a workshop withheld his pay and failed to provide proper training, ORF reported.

The apprentice, who was training as a motor vehicle technician, came under increasing pressure at the business and eventually signed an agreement to end his apprenticeship. The chamber said his outstanding claims were settled after it intervened.

According to the chamber, no one at the workshop appeared to be responsible for ensuring he received proper training. As tensions escalated, his employer accused him of theft and deliberately damaging a customer’s vehicle.

Erich Malle, the chamber’s youth affairs officer, said the case was resolved out of court, with the training business paying a settlement of nearly 7,500 euros gross. Chamber President Günther Goach said apprentices should not be treated as cheap labour and called on businesses to train and treat young people fairly, particularly as skilled workers become harder to find.