YOU NEVER WORK ALONE!
YOUR TRADE UNION
GPA Union is a non-partisan employees’ representation based on voluntary membership. We are committed to decent working conditions, fair income and social welfare. We represent the interests of employees, apprentices, atypical employees, school and university students and retired employees.
We protect the income of hundreds of thousands of em-ployees. Together with over 10,000 works councils, we ensure that the rights of employees are respected. With your membership you strengthen the trade union movement and you make an important contribution for decent working conditions and fair payment!
YOUR FAIR PAY
GPA Union negotiates about 170 collective agreements at branch level every year. The collective agreement stipula-tes your income and your working time. There is no statutory minimum wage in Austria and many other important labour laws matters are regulated by collective agreements only. Regular salary increases and vacation and Christmas bonu-ses are only possible with a strong union.
The more members support us, the stronger we are together in enforcing better salary agreements!
Your Benefits
As GPA member you can count in top advice on all matters regarding your employment relationship. Our experts provide proficient answers to questions like “Do I get paid correctly?” or “Which collective agreement applies to me?”. We also support you in case of complicated issues regarding sickness, accident or pension.
You can count on GPA Union as a strong partner by your side upon legal problems at work. Our experts provide qualified counselling and try to solve problems with your employer. If necessary, our legal experts represent you in court for free.
Legal protection is effective for all disputes which are directly related to your employment and don’t contradict any trade union principles.*
GPA Union wins more than EUR 50 million for its members every year!
*Upon paid membership of at least 6 months.
You have insurance cover up to EUR 100,000, if you negli-gently cause personal or material damage relating to your employment (except for damages to your employer).*
*Upon paid membership of at least 6 months.
You have insurance cover up to EUR 20,000, if you claim compensation for a damage suffered in pursuance of your professional activity.
Many employees are affected negatively by economic changes. The trade union also supports its members in emergency situations.
Upon submitting a confirmation of the Public Employment Service (AMS), you receive up to EUR 200 in addition to the statutory unemployment benefit. After a membership period of 2 years, you receive the unemployment support for 3 months; after a membership period of 3 years for 6 months.
More information (in German). at: www.gpa.at/service
The GPA membership magazine KOMPETENZ (in German) regularly brings the latest information from the world of work to your home. You also find us at www.gpa.at as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
- Shopping discounts
- Holiday offers
- Discounts on cultural events
Hundreds of special offers and all details on the trade union services and benefits are available at www.gpa.at/service (in German).
MEMBERSHIP FEE
Fairness is first priority in GPA Union. Therefore, the individual membership fee depends on the income of our members. You get union protection for only 1% of your gross income.
Example: If you earn EUR 1,672.45 gross, your monthly membership fee amounts to EUR 16.72.
The membership fee is fully deductible from your wage tax. Therefore, you pay less taxes (see table “wage tax advantage”). If the membership fee is directly deducted from the salary/wage (deduction from salary/wage by the employer), the tax reduction is already considered at payroll accounting.
Overtime (also lump sums), vacation and Christmas bonuses, personal allowances, redundancy payments and similar payments.
Atypical employees (free journalists with press card, freelancers, crowd workers, trade licence holders without employees) pay 1 % of their gross income and a minimum membership fee of EUR 10.
If the monthly income varies, the contract period – and in cases of longer contracts the last 6 months – serve as the basis for the calculation of a monthly average membership fee.
Salary/wage/apprenticeship compensation, dirty-work and danger bonuses, severity allowances, commissions and bonuses, termination and vacation compensations, reduced salary/wage upon part-time parental leave, partial pension.
After a paid duration of membership of at least 6 months, these periods are credited as membership periods: statutory maternity protection, parental leave for the period stipulated by law or works agreement, military or civilian service, development assistance, educational leave, full-time family hospice leave, unpaid sick leave.
- Unemployed members, secondary membership (primary membership with another trade union), unpaid leave and early maternity protection
- Marginally employed employees (salary below the marginal employment threshold)
- Military conscripts, civilian servants, childcare beneficiaries without prior membership
- Retired journalists with press card
- School and university students*
- Extraordinary membership
- Retired employees*
*Exceptions apply for the legal representation in court, see www.gpa.at/rechtsschutz
WAGE TAX ADVANTAGE
Frequently Asked Questions on GPA Union Membership
You pay a maximum of 1% of your gross income.
We stand for fairness. Therefore, your membership fee depends on your income.
Usually, the monthly membership fee amounts to 1% of your gross income. But you can save even more! Your employer doesn’t yet consider you membership fee in payroll accounting? Then, you can deduct your membership fee from your wage tax!
Example: If you, for instance, pay a monthly membership fee of EUR 35.30.- (the “maximum” fee), you get a tax return of about EUR 14.50.-. Therefore, your actual monthly membership fee decreases to about EUR 20.-.
In 2021, you pay a maximum monthly fee of EUR 35.30.-. (After tax deduction even only about EUR 20.-). The maximum fee is adjusted every year.
Certain groups like school students or retired employees pay even less. All details are outlined further below.
Fixed monthly fees:
- Unemployed members
- Secondary membership (primary membership with another trade union)
- Unpaid leave
- Early maternity protection
- Military servants/civilian servants without prior membership
- Childcare beneficiaries without prior membership
pay EUR 1.80.-/month
- Marginally employed employees (salary below the marginal employment threshold)
pay EUR 2.-/month
Fixed yearly fees:
- School and university students EUR 12.-/year
- Retired employees EUR 36.-/year
Other membership fees:
Atypical employees (freelancers, crowd workers, trade licence holders without employees as well as free journalists with press card) pay 1% of their gross income and a minimum membership fee of EUR 10.-/month.
Retired journalists with press card EUR 8.-/month
Regular monthly payments are liable for contributions, such as:
- Salary/wage/apprenticeship compensation
- Dirty-work and danger bonuses, severity allowances, commissions and bonuses
- Termination and vacation compensations
- Reduced salary/wage upon part-time parental leave
- Reduced salary/wage upon partial pension
Not included in the membership fee:
- Overtime (also lump sums)
- Vacation and Christmas bonuses
- Personal allowances
- Redundancy payments
- and similar payments
Non-contributory periods:
(are credited as membership periods after a paid membership period of at least 6 months)
- Statutory maternity protection
- Parental leave for the period stipulated by law or works agreement
- Unpaid sick leave
- Military or civilian service
This also applies to:
- Development assistance
- Educational leave
- Full-time family hospice leave
Is GPA Union my responsible trade union? For which economic sectors is GPA Union responsible?
GPA Union negotiates about 170 different collective agreements. We are mostly responsible for white-collar workers.
We are your responsible trade union if you, for example, work in the commerce sector, in the social sector, in the care sector, at the social security, in the IT sector, in the metal industry, in the chemical industry, at a bank, at an insurance company, in childcare and child education and many other sectors.
You are not sure whether GPA Union is your responsible trade union? Our colleagues at our service hotline can help you out! Call us at +43 (0)5 0301!
Additionally, you can also find the economic sectors that we represent here (in German): www.gpa.at/kollektivvertrag
Yes, certainly! You can also join GPA Union if you currently are apprentice.
Apprentices can join GPA Union and benefit from special offers and advantages.
Furthermore, you can deduct your membership fee for GPA Union from your wage tax und save extra money.
Yes, certainly! You can also join GPA Union if you go to school or study at university. In this field, your union, for example, takes a stand for decent, paid internships and good learning conditions. You only pay EUR 12.- per year and benefit from many exclusive advantages!
No! As a matter of course, we protect your data!
You want your membership fee to be directly deducted from your salary? No problem, but then the human resources department/payroll office of your company gets to know about your membership. You don’t want that to happen? Then you can just pay by direct debit.
Whatever is most convenient for you:
- You can complete the online membership registration form.
- You can complete the PDF membership registration form, print it and post it to us or submit it to your works council.
- You can complete the PDF membership registration form, scan it and send it to us via email.
- You can swing by at your closest GPA Union office and register in one of our offices. Here you find all addresses of GPA Union in the different federal provinces (in German).
You can terminate your membership at any time. Just send an informal email to service@gpa.at. You then no longer pay membership fees as from the following month.
If you want to you can also demand the erasure of the data after having terminated your membership. We then also delete your data from our system.
You can fully deduct the membership fee from your wage tax. You, therefore, pay less taxes.
If the membership fee is directly deducted from the salary/wage, the tax reduction is already considered at payroll accounting.
If you pay the membership fee by direct debit, then you receive a confirmation about all paid membership fees. You need this confirmation for the tax authority in case you submit a tax declaration.
You just write an informal email to service@gpa.at indicating what has changed.
This is important so that you pay a membership fee corresponding to your current income.
Therefore, please inform us:
- If you change your job/your economic sector and if you are not sure whether GPA Union is still your responsible trade union.
- If you retire.
- If you lose your job.
- If you are in statutory maternity protection.
- If you are on parental leave for the period stipulated by law or works agreement.
- If you are sick and don’t receive your salary/wage.
- If you are on military or civilian service.
- If you are on development assistance.
- If you are on educational leave.
- If you are on full-time family hospice leave.
Without any stress:
- Either, by directly deducting the membership fee from your salary/wage.
- Or via an automatic direct debit mandate. Your membership fee is then transferred every month.
You can find all details on both payment methods on your online membership registration form or your PDF membership registration form.