Austria’s teachers’ union warns of impending staff shortages

Austrian schools may not be able to service all lessons in the coming year, teacher representatives warn amid continued staffing issues and serious disgruntlement among trade unions.

While discussions about how to avert a looming shortage in teaching staff have been simmering for years, teacher unions are increasingly warning of shortages that will be expected once students return from their summer vacation.

“From today’s perspective, we do not expect to be able to fill vacant classes in September,” Paul Kimberger, the teachers’ trade union boss, told APA in an interview.

While the predicted teacher shortage comes way ahead of the predicted peak shortage in 2027, when 20,000 teachers are expected to retire, teachers are already claiming that the reduced workforce is already affecting their mental stability, among other things, as schools are also unable to always find the teachers they would like to hire.

“Many politicians have unfortunately lost touch with the people and an informed view of reality,” the primary teachers’ union said in early July, saying it will not refrain from taking “appropriate trade union measures across the board” to tackle teacher shortages.

Opposition parties have started to sound the alarm, too.

“The education system could “completely collapse” at any time, warned Petra Tanzler, in charge of education policy at the Social democrat SPÖ.

Only teachers’ and students’ flexibility kept things running, she added.

“The teachers’ union once again confirms our long-standing criticism of the prevailing staff shortage in Austria’s schools,” said the far-right FPÖ’s Hermann Brückl.

(Nikolaus J. Kurmayer | EURACTIV.de)