Working hours in Austria
Your wage depends on the number of hours you work. The regular standard working hours are 40 per week.
In general, the law in Austria permits you to work a maximum of 12 hours a day or 60 hours a week (incl. overtime). Working for 60 hours a week is only permitted for a limited period according to the regulations of the AGRAR-collective agreement.
60 hours is an absolute maximum. If you work more, your employer can be punished.
Breaks
You are granted breaks at least half an hour every day. The breaks are not included in the work hours and are therefore unpaid.
Minimum wage
The minimum wage in Austria for agricultural harvest workers is different in each federal state, as each federal state has its own collective agreements.
The wage is between € 7 and € 8 net per hour in 2020 (with full insurance protection in case of illness, accident, unemployment and with pension insurance).
Your monthly wage depends on your working hours – the regular standard working hours are 40 hours per week. If you work less than 40 hours, you will receive less than the minimum wage.
Depending on the region in Austria, there are different minimum wages. The minimum wage for 40 hours per week is 1.434,00 € gross for example in Styria (2020)
You can find the updated regional payrates on the map on this webpage: http://www.sezonieri.at/en/remuneration/
From the gross amount there are deductions for tax and social insurances contributions. The net amount is paid in cash or into your bank account.
If you work more than 40 hours you must have overtime payment (but if you have flexible working hours there may be other regulations).
Learn more about overtime payment here
Special payment
In the collective agreement for agriculture you can find the regulations about special payment and vacancies.
Christmas and holiday payment
According to the collective agreement for agricultural workers, you do not only get the monthly wage but also Christmas bonus and holiday bonus (so called 13th and 14th monthly wage). If you do not work a whole year, you will only get a proportion of it equivalent to the duration of your employment.
When you have been working for a whole year, you have the right of 5 weeks paid holidays. If you work shorter than one year, you are only entitled to get the equivalent to the duration of your employment. If your employment has ended and if you do not take a vacation, you can get salary as remuneration for paid holidays.
You will also get wage for working days on public holidays.
Federal collective agreements
In Austria, each federal state has different collective agreements. The collective agreements are negotiated by the trade unions, the chambers of agricultural workers (representation of the interests of the employees) and the chambers of agriculture (representation of interests of the employers).
You can find the updated regional payrates on the map on this webpage: http://www.sezonieri.at/en/remuneration/
Learn more
Regional payments in Styria
Collective Agreements