The trade union movement is historically strong in Austria and that is why there are better working conditions in Austria than in most other countries in the world.

Trade unions negotiate minimum wages, collective agreements for individual sectors, annual index adjustments and much more. They also offer advice and legal protection in negotiations with the employer (e.g. suing for outstanding wages etc.).

We at iBUS therefore recommend becoming a trade union member. The more members a trade union has, the more power it has to act.

However, since sex work in Austria is legally regulated as "new self-employment", this is not really possible. However, we also know that in many cases working in brothels is pseudo self-employment (e.g. when working hours and working methods are predetermined). In these cases one can turn to trade unions after all:

The ÖGB is the umbrella organisation of trade unions. You can find the Tyrolean section here.

The following trade unions are most likely to be responsible for sex workers:

- The trade union for EPUs, VidaFlex.

- The trade union for private employees (GPA). You can find the Tyrolean section here.

- The trade union Vida. You can find the Tyrolean section here.

There is a lot of info for new self-employed and EPUs here.

There is also the possibility to report cases of bogus self-employment (Scheinselbständigkeit) to the health insurance. If you are actually in an employment relationship, your employer is obliged to pay your health insurance. This would also entitle you to sick pay, holiday pay, Christmas pay, maternity leave pay and pension insurance.