Social economy Austria
| Social Economy Austria (SWÖ) |
|
|---|---|
| legal form | Association |
| purpose | Advocacy |
| Seat | Vienna |
| founding | February 1997
|
| Board | Erich Fenninger |
| executive Director | Walter Marschitz |
| Former board members | Wolfgang Gruber |
| Members | around 400 |
| Website | swoe.at |
The Social Economy Austria - Association of Austrian Social and Health Enterprises (SWÖ) , formerly the professional association of employers for health and social professions (BAGS) , is the industry representative of Austrian employers in the private social and health sector.
Tasks and achievements
The association represents around 400 member organizations and the entire industry, which is mainly characterized by non-profit status and close cooperation with the public sector. In its function as industry representative and employer-social partner, the social economy Austria is not only working on a strengthened self-image of the entire industry, but is also developing the SWÖ collective agreement (formerly: BAGS collective agreement) and the labor law framework for the social sector.
The association provides the following services:
- legal advice to its members
- Lobbying work at the federal and state levels
- Assessment of laws and regulations
- Raising awareness and strengthening the image of the social and health sector
- Strengthening the position of non-profit companies in the social economy
- Strengthening the professional groups in the social and health sector
- Ensuring a diverse range of services and information
structure
The association is organized according to Austrian association law. The board is elected by the general assembly for a two-year term. Wolfgang Gruber (BBRZ / Verein FAB / Pro Sozialwirtschaft GmbH) was chairman of the board until April 2016 . At the general assembly in April 2016, Erich Fenninger ( Volkshilfe Österreich ) was elected as the new chairman of the board. Walter Marschitz (formerly Hilfwerk Austria) was appointed managing director.
Another organ of the association are its four specialist groups:
- Labor market services
- Work with disabled people / psychosocial work
- Health and Social Services
- Child care / child and youth welfare
One of the most important tasks of the specialist groups is the preparation of the annual collective bargaining negotiations.
history
A number of Austrian social enterprises were founded in February 1997. The primary goal was the establishment of a common collective agreement. In October of the same year, the Federal Unification Office of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor awarded the BAGS collective agreement in all areas.
The BAGS collective agreement was concluded on December 17, 2003. At the negotiating table were the BAGS, the Union of Private Employees (GPA-djp), the Trade, Transport and Traffic Union and the Hotel, Hospitality and Personal Services Union. The latter two merged in 2006 to form today's trade union vida . On July 1, 2004, the new collective agreement for BAGS members came into force.
In order to create equal working conditions not only for members, but for the entire industry, the BAGS endeavored from the beginning on a statute of the collective agreement. On May 1, 2006, the BAGS collective agreement was enacted by the Federal Unification Office. This means that since then it has also been valid for non-members and is the only collective agreement for the entire sector of health, social affairs, work for the disabled, child and youth welfare and labor market services. It creates minimum standards for 60 social professions, which must not be undercut. More than 100,000 people are currently employed in the areas regulated by the BAGS collective agreement in Austria.
On April 16, 2012 BAGS was renamed Social Economy Austria - Association of Austrian Social and Health Enterprises .