On 1 January 2026, a number of significant changes will come into force in the Austrian collective agreement for employees and apprentices in retail businesses (hereinafter referred to as the ‘collective agreement for the retail sector’). After three rounds of intensive negotiations, the social partners have agreed on a package that includes salary adjustments, changes to working hours and new incentives for apprentices. Here we summarise the most important points:

Increase in minimum salaries

Minimum salaries in the commercial sector will be increased by 2.55% from 1 January 2026, with the overpayment remaining unchanged. The amount will be rounded up to the nearest full euro. No one-off payments are planned.

Apprentices: greater recognition through higher bonuses

The new collective agreement also introduces innovations in the area of apprentice training. The apprenticeship completion bonus will be significantly increased and will in future amount to £250 for excellent results and £200 for good results. This is intended to give greater recognition to the performance of trainees and to maintain the attractiveness of the retail sector as a training industry.

More flexible working time regulations

A central part of the collective agreement concerns working hours. The previous rule that a worked Saturday must be followed by a work-free Saturday can be waived with the consent of the works council. However, the full collective agreement supplements for Saturdays will remain in place.
In addition, the wishes of many part-time employees are addressed: in the case of regular overtime, an increase in working hours should be possible.

Conclusion

Currently, only the basic key points of the changes to the collective agreement for the retail sector, which will come into force on 1 January 2026, are available. The specific details of the changes to the collective agreement for the retail sector will not be known until the 2026 collective agreement for the retail sector is published.
If you have any questions about the changes to the collective agreement for the retail sector or their implementation in your company, the KWR employment law team will be happy to assist you.