A 38-year-old employee who works for a smaller company that works in the area of ​​aircraft maintenance had to enforce his entitlement to parental leave with the help of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Labor. He had previously been refused this by his employer.

According to the AK, this is clearly regulated legally. A corresponding agreement is possible for a company with more than 20 employees and at least three years of service. “Ultimately, a good solution was found for the employee that also fits the company,” said AK Lower Austria President and ÖGB Lower Austria Chairman Markus Wieser.

Parental leave, yes, but a noticeable reduction in working hours is not possible. This was the somewhat contradictory attitude of a company in the aerospace technology industry when one of its technicians requested parental leave. At this point, he had already been with the company for more than 20 years and had also shared maternity leave with his wife for their small child.

The company initially believed that a major reduction in working hours would disrupt operations and thus endanger flight safety. “With the help of our labor law experts, the person concerned was then able to show the company that the argument was not correct,” says Wieser. Processes are designed with documentation in such a way that a technical colleague can continue where they left off.

After the intervention of the AK Lower Austria, a compromise was reached before the scheduled court date: On average, the twelve hours of parental time remain, but these are divided into different hours per week within a month. “Parental leave is intended to make it easier to combine work and family. It is therefore important to implement appropriate solutions here,” says Wieser.