Austria sets homework tariff for brush and paintbrush makers

The Bundeseinigungsamt (Federal Conciliation Office) at the Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection has issued a new homework tariff for the manufacture and processing of brushes and paintbrushes of all kinds, covering both the trade (Gewerbe) and industry sectors. The regulation was adopted by decision of 19 August 2026 after a Senate hearing and was published in Teil II of the Österreichisches Bundesgesetzblatt of 20 August 2026 under reference BGBLA_2026_II_249.

The tariff is based on § 34(1) of the Heimarbeitsgesetz 1960 (BGBl. Nr. 105/1961), which empowers the Conciliation Office to issue homework tariffs at the request of a body capable of concluding collective agreements on behalf of workers. It sets out the working times, piece rates and surcharges that principals must apply when employing homeworkers in this sector.

Scope of application

The tariff applies throughout the whole of Austria and covers the manufacture or processing of brushes and paintbrushes of all kinds, provided the work does not fall under another production branch and is not already regulated by a homework framework agreement or tariff. It binds all principals who employ homeworkers for these tasks.

• Räumlich (territorial): the whole of the Austrian federal territory.
• Fachlich (sectoral): manufacture and processing of brushes and paintbrushes of all kinds.
• Persönlich (personal): all principals employing homeworkers for the listed work.

Working times and piece rates

The tariff fixes standard working times for drawing in bundles of material into pre-drilled brush bodies, covering a wide range of products. The listed items include gloss brushes, horsehair brushes, frame and wall brushes, stencil bundles, floor brushes, scrubbing and washing brushes, carpet brooms, bassine and horsehair brooms, toilet brushes, polishing discs, painter’s discs, handle brushes, glass brushes, clothes brushes, head brushes, and billiard and furniture brushes.

Piece rates for all work performed in homework within trade businesses are to be calculated on the basis of an hourly wage. For businesses belonging to the Fachverband der Holzwirtschaft (Wood Industry Association), the collective agreement for the wood-processing industry applies, calculated according to wage group V.

Surcharges and entry into force

On top of the calculated piece rates, homeworkers receive a separately itemised homework surcharge of 10%. Where the worker supplies their own tools, the surcharge rises to 20%, also to be shown separately on the pay statement.

The tariff takes effect for both the trade and industry sectors on 1 June 2026. The regulation is signed by Lukowitsch on behalf of the issuing authority.

For the many homeworkers and small principals in Austria’s brush and paintbrush trade, the tariff provides a binding, uniform framework for working times and pay, and the higher surcharge recognises the cost of workers supplying their own equipment. It gives both sides legal certainty in a sector where piecework and home-based labour are common.

Source: Österreichisches Bundesgesetzblatt, Teil II, 20 August 2026 (official reference: BGBLA_2026_II_249).