Federal Contribution to Construction Workers' Bad Weather Compensation

The federal contribution to construction workers' bad weather compensation supports companies in the construction industry in Vienna through a partial reimbursement of the bad weather compensations paid out by the Construction Workers’ Holiday and Severance Pay Fund (BUAK) to employees. The aim of this continuously available funding is to mitigate wage losses during weather-related work interruptions and thus ensure the economic stability of employers in the construction sector. Under the Construction Workers’ Bad Weather Compensation Act of 1957 and the Labour Market Policy Financing Act, the federal government provides an annual contribution of up to a total of 3 million euros to reduce the financial burden on BUAK and thereby indirectly on the companies.

Eligible for funding are all companies operating in the construction industry that grant bad weather compensation to their employees in accordance with legal requirements. Applications can be submitted to BUAK on an ongoing basis; only a formal application to the fund is required. Only the actually paid bad weather compensations are considered eligible expenses. Approval is granted based on legal admissibility, so no additional evidence beyond the BUAK application is necessary. Through this straightforward direct funding, the federal government sends a clear signal for social security in construction and contributes to sustainably strengthening the financial planning security of companies operating in weather-dependent work environments.