News from Austria

Cleaning woman fired after 20 years for "bad German".

The Chamber of Labour ruled that a cleaning woman was unfairly dismissed after 20 years of service when a company terminated her for bad German language skills.

The ruling, which was reported by Die Presse on Monday, stated that the woman had been terminated after 20 years without good reason. During a hearing in the labour court, the company argued that the woman was unable to meet the required standards for her German language ability.

The Chamber of Labour (AK) countered that it was more likely that the woman had simply become too expensive for the company to retain after two decades of service, where she was covered by a collective employment contract.

The AK ruled that the company should make a payment of €31,600 to the woman for the loss of her job.

"We therefore contested the dismissal as socially unconstitutional, which required a reasonable compensation for the woman," said AK OÖ President Johann Kalliauer.

Austria generally has good laws to protect the rights of workers compared to other European nations.

That's an odd one. After twenty years, I'd have thought her German would be at an acceptable level. Though I supposed language skills aren't really needed for cleaning jobs, as horrible messes are horrible in every language....

Agreed.

Kebap chain pays fine of burping man (kebap is German for kebab).


A Turkish kebap chain has paid the €70 fine levied by Police against a man who burped in their vicinity back in February.

Vienna's police are among the finest in the world, and they certainly showed their efficiency in tracking down the originator of a rather loud belch at the Prater railway station.

According to the charge sheet, Viennese bartender Edin Mehic "broke public propriety on the 7th of February at 6:15 pm, at the Praterstern exit leading towards Praterstrasse, in the following way: burping very loudly near to police officers."

As a result of this charge, Mehic was fined €70 for the offense.  His crime?  He'd just eaten a Kebap, and felt the need to burp.  He didn't even know the police were there, until one of them grabbed him by his arm.

He posted the ticket on Facebook, and was surprised how quickly the story spread around the world.

It finally reached the ears of the owners of a well-known Turkish chain of Döner Kebaps, Kasap Döner.  The company decided that its signature product should not be brought into disrepute, and invited Mehic to Turkey, where they reimbursed him €70 to cover the cost of his rather expensive meal.

The bartender explained that he hasn't dared to return to the scene of the crime, and looks over his shoulder whenever he feels the need to burp in public.  To this day, he says he cannot understand how the punishment could possibly fit the "crime."

"Quite honestly, this was a normal burp, not the mating cry of an elk", he said.

The number of people registered as 'flu victims in Vienna has jumped from 9,000 last week up to 11,400 this week making the illness officially an epidemic

According to public health officials, the latest registrations from doctors in the Vienna region show that the current rate of influenza infections has now reached epidemic status, with more than 11,400 affected by the illness.

Fortunately, the flu hasn't shown signs of causing any deaths, but as usual very young infants and the elderly are at greatest risk if symptoms worsen.

In Lower Austria, around 2,795 cases have been reported.

The most popular strain is A-H3N2, a variant virus which normally circulates among pigs. It's also found among some species of birds and other mammals. Around 36,000 people die in the USA from a similar virus each year.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control, seasons where the H3N2 strain dominates are usually more severe, but are not as dangerous as the pandemic H1N1 which occurred in 2009.

http://www.thelocal.at/20161229/flu-season-now-officially-an-epidemic-in-vienna

I am none too convinced that flu jabs work, LL. For one thing, the viruses involved mutate constantly. And, anecdotally, I know of a good few people who have been extremely ill after having them.

bb1 wrote:I am none too convinced that flu jabs work, LL. For one thing, the viruses involved mutate constantly. And, anecdotally, I know of a good few people who have been extremely ill after having them.

I once had an extreme adverse reaction to the flu jab, so I decided when offered it the year before I moved to Europe to decline. However I did accept the pneumonia shot which was a one time only and had no problems with that. LL

A sensible compromise!

bb1 wrote:A sensible compromise!

I'm a lawyer, I weigh all things in the balance, and feeling like sh*t was not acceptable.    LL

Vienna philharmonic heard around the world.


Gustavo Dudamel. Photo: ORF

The Vienna Philharmonic rung in 2017 with its famed New Year's Concert on Sunday under the baton of the orchestra's youngest-ever conductor, charismatic Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel.

The 35-year-old, who currently leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic, follows in the footsteps of giants such as Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado and Zubin Mehta.

"An incredible honour to lead this year's New Year's Concert," Dudamel tweeted hours before the glittering event, broadcast live in more than 90 countries and watched by millions of people.

The annual "Neujahrskonzert" held inside the Great Hall of the exalted Musikverein in Vienna is largely dedicated to the 19th-century Strauss composer family.

The 2017 programme twirled through waltzes, polkas and marches before ending with the legendary Radetzky March by the elder Johann Strauss.

The finale also featured the much-loved Blue Danube by his son Johann Strauss, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary next month.

But every edition also has some variety and this year's non-Strauss pieces included Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor.

At one point, the lighthearted event saw a group of young ballet dancers burst into the gilded hall and pirouette their way through the seated public.

The orchestra meanwhile was dressed by fashion super star Vivian Westwood and her Austrian-born husband Andreas Kronthaler.

At the end of the two-and-a-half-hour show, a visibly elated Dudamel received a standing ovation, including from Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz who was among the many personalities in attendance.

"(Conducting the Blue Danube) means now I can die in peace," the maestro had euphorically told a press conference in Vienna on Thursday.

Shortly after Sunday's performance, the Vienna Philharmonic announced that a familiar face will return to the stage for the next edition -- Italian great Riccardo Muti who will conduct the concert on January 1, 2018 for the fifth time.

The event started life on December 31, 1939, under the Nazis but in the subsequent years these dark beginnings were forgotten and it gradually became a regular highlight in the classical music calendar.

In the 1980s after the 25-concert reign of Austrian Willi Boskovsky and six-times American successor Lorin Maazel -- who died this year -- it was decided to have a different conductor each year.

Due to extremely high demand, tickets for the concert are drawn by lottery at the beginning of each year.

Oh, I hadn't realised it was broadcast live all over the world, LL! Wonderful!

bb1 wrote:Oh, I hadn't realised it was broadcast live all over the world, LL! Wonderful!

We watched it live via Austrian TV yesterday morning, the whol program took over 3 hours, Part 2 of the concert was also highlighted in the UK on BBC4 last evening.  I have put a snippet from it on the Welcome thread.   LL

Severe weather warnings halt trains throughout Austria

A violent winter storm pattern will thrash through all of Austria this Wednesday. Recent forecasts have put the entire country under red alert and are predicting very difficult winter conditions that have gone so far as to impact the national train service.

According to Heute, the region of Upper Austria is currently under heavy snowfall and the outskirts of Vienna have already been hit by incredible wind speeds, peaking at 131km/hr. Within the city itself, gusts of up to 100km/hr were measured, which has lead to the closure of many major public parks, including the Augarten, Burggarten, Volksgarten, the grounds of the Belvedere Palace and Glorietteberg.

Even the city's central ice rink located in front of town hall known as the 'Wiener Eistraum' was forced to shut down due to potential dangerous conditions. City police have also reported trees toppling over onto the street, one even crushing a parked car in the district of Ottakring.

Additionally, the national train service, the ÖBB has stated that the coming storm has caused many lines throughout the country to be compromised in terms of either delays or cancellations. Travelers should make sure to check the updated timetables to remain on top of the changes.

Temperatures are predicted to drop to -8 and the city is forecast to be entirely snow-covered by Sunday. It is recommended that individuals remain aware of potential sweeping debris and to dress appropriately while outdoors.





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Storm 'Axel' descends polar freeze over Austria

The winter storm that hit the country on Wednesday has even more in store; from bitter cold temperatures brought in by roaring high-speed winds to a healthy dosing of snow that will affect both the east and west.

Last night, wind speed didn't get any higher than in Upper Austria. Not only did residents deal with immense amounts of snowfall, but at 1,618 meters above sea level on the Feuerkogel mountain gusts of up to 161 km/h were measured.

The APA reported that in Vienna alone there were 150 incidences for which the fire department had to be deployed last night, which is double the norm according to spokesman, Michael Wagner.

Highways across the country were also overwhelmed with harsh conditions. In the north-eastern Mühlviertel, the local police even tweeted that the region was "sinking in snow".

As far as what's to come, meteorologist for Ubimet, Josef Lukas has reported that in the coming days the temperatures will hover between -3 and -12 degrees Celsius and in Pinzgau, southern Salzburg, it could fall as low as 23 below. The wind will also remain vigorous until Saturday, which is especially compromising at high altitudes. "Skiers should bundle up," says Lukas. "At wind speeds of 50 kilometers per hour, it feels like minus 30."

Combined with coming bouts of snow, the velocity of the wind presents a much higher risk for avalanches in the Western more mountainous regions. According to avalanche expert at the Central Institut for Meteorology and Geodynamics (Zamg), Arno Studeregger warns that the danger only increases one the storm has actually cleared. "The first nice day after a snowfall is the most dangerous."

That's very nasty windchill, LL - best stay inside in the warm!

bb1 wrote:That's very nasty windchill, LL - best stay inside in the warm!

I'm not there. I'm in Hungary, we are well south of Austria, very close to Croatia.    Budapest  and north Hungary may get snow but probably not as bad as Austria.   We are experiencing very cold weather, hasn't been above 3C for at least a month, down as low as -5C at night; we had a small dusting of snow this morning, but as we are in a valley our weather is nowhere as bad as further north.   The worst I have ever known here was about six years ago when we had two weeks of snow.   As I have bronchitis I am going nowhere!!    LL

Man charged 34,000 Euros (approx £29,000 at today's rate) for driving without a license in Zurich.

While working in Zurich, Bregenz native Marcel E. was pulled over and charged a hefty fee amounting to upwards of 34,000 Euros thanks to an invalid licence.

Due to the fact that Austrian driver's licenses are no longer regarded as legitimate after 12 months living within Switzerland, it is the responsibility of drivers from abroad to re-register their status upon entering the Swiss Confederacy.

In the case of Marcel E., he was first charged a penalty of 17,120 Swiss Francs and had until November 2016 to pay up.

On a trip he took to a neighboring country in July, the young Austrian electrician already suffered consequences for not having paid the full amount by being detained for five hours.

At the end of December, he wanted to fly from Zurich to London, but was taken to the commissioner's office while going through passport control. Because the fine had still not entirely been paid, he was slapped with another penalty of 18,600 Swiss Francs that was due immediately lest he be locked up for a period of six months.

According to the report from news daily Heute, the 25-year old has now decided to hire a lawyer to handle the seemingly extortionate case. "To be charged 34,000 Euros is beyond all good and evil. I may be working, but I'm no millionaire."

Switzerland introduced in 2015 a draconian new driving law, known as Via secura, which significantly increased penalties for speeding and driving unlicensed. The controversial law has seen a Swiss man jailed for 18 months and fined 4,000 CHF, plus two year's loss of license, for driving at 149 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

New measures introduced in 2016 and 2017 include stricter tests for older drivers, compulsory driving courses, "black box" driving recorders and breath-test starting inhibitors for repeat offenders.

It does seem harsh, but on the other hand, maybe there are good reasons for such stiff penalties?

Take care of yourself LL.  

Elephants at Schönbrunn enjoy a piney post-Christmas snack.


The elephants at Schönbrunn Palace were treated to a pointy, green snack on Tuesday morning. According to tradition, the Christmas trees from major Christmas markets around Vienna are given to animals at the palace zoo at the end of every holiday season.

Due to the unappealing freezing conditions outside, the pack of pachyderms had to be coaxed out of their nest with a trail of carrots that lead to their special snack. Their thick skin served as good protection as they munched on the hefty serving of Christmas trees in the open air.

"It is really something extraordinary for them, because it takes them quite a while to get through such a large portion", said elephant keeper Andreas Buberl in an interview with APA. The 18-meter tall spruce from Tyrol will be consumed by the elephant family over the following days, starting with the branches, then onto the bark, and finally they will sink their tusks into the trunk. Once they've feasted enough, the elephants will use the remaining pieces as toys until the spring, while eating their usual diet of hay, twigs, fruit, and vegetables.

Other animals at the zoo were also served up to 150 smaller Christmas saplings, much to the delight of the rhinos, zebras and water buffalo that inhabit the palace grounds.

Thanks, LL, that's fascinating. I wonder who first discovered that elephants enjoy eating Christmas trees?

bb1 wrote:Thanks, LL, that's fascinating. I wonder who first discovered that elephants enjoy eating Christmas trees?

Could be the Austrians as Schönbrunn Zoo is the oldest in the world (dates from 1752) and they have had Christmas trees to get rid of from the seasonal markets for yonks. LL

Yes, that makes sense!

bb1 wrote:Yes, that makes sense!

A stroll around Schönbrunn Zoo - enjoy!!    LL

Coldest night of the season followed by warm front on the horizon.


Wednesday night proved to be the coldest night so far this winter, with temperatures sinking to almost 20 below in eastern regions of the country.

The Austrian weather service UBIMET has reported that temperatures sank to -22.4 degrees Celsius in Klausen-Leopoldsdorf in Lower Austria, representing the coldest conditions so far to affect eastern Austria. A warm front will follow the recent freeze, bringing with it a blanket of snow, rainshowers and possible black ice.

Head meteorologist for UBIMET, Manfred Spatzierer stated, "During the night and going into Thursday, a warm-front will pass through and with a strong, refreshing western wind will deliver snowfall, rain and milder air."

As far as western regions of Austria, temperatures fell to 10 below in Salzburg. Heavy amounts of snow is predicted with considerable accumulation. This will taper off into rain starting tomorrow.

The coming warm front will sadly be short-lived, as another cold shock will be gracing the country through the alps starting on Friday. The cold will settle down upon the entire country by mid-day and could result in a Genoa Low, a type of cyclone that will bring more snow to eastern Tyrol, Carinthia and south-western parts of Styria.

Brrrrr......