Pension statements of the Salzburg Education Directorate only accessible via ID Austria

The Salzburg Education Directorate responsible for the man argued in a statement that it was no longer possible to send the payslip for reasons of data protection. Furthermore, no legal basis was known according to which retired teachers had a right to a specific form of delivery of the salary statement.

A data protection officer invited to the programme explained that there is a right in the E-Government Act to receive notifications by email or letter, but described this as half-hearted. There are similar problems in many areas: with the repair bonus, craftsmen's bonus, climate bonus, dentist's bonus...; health workers in Lower Austria or teachers in Upper Austria only receive their deliveries digitally via app. There is also a lot of discrimination in terms of costs, for example the parking sticker in Vienna is 20 per cent more expensive if it is not ordered by smartphone.

For Ombudsman Rosenkranz, this comprehensive digitalisation was a clear case of age discrimination and social discrimination. In addition, this form of delivery forces people to buy the relevant devices. An enquiry by the Austrian Ombudsman Board to the Data Protection Commission led to the conclusion that sending payslips by email did not constitute a breach of data protection, meaning that the complainant would receive his statements in this way again "on the basis of an individual case decision" by the Ministry of Education. However, according to the Ministry, the system does not allow all employees to receive their statements by email and is not planned for the future. In the programme, the Ombudsman also noted the Ministry's passive resistance to sending statements by email: "The Ministry also conceded the possibility of sending statements by post, but at the same time pointed out that it reserves the right to charge for the costs." He believes that it is not only the Ministry of Education that is responsible here. The Ombudsman Board had therefore submitted an enquiry to the Federal Chancellery, where the activities of several ministries were being coordinated. A digital offer could be made without forcing people who could not or did not want to use it to do so. An "analogue life" must also be possible without penalties.

In demand: Kindergarten place for child with trisomy 18

In May 2023, Ombudsman Dr Walter Rosenkranz reported on the parents of a 4-year-old girl. They were both forced to work in order to maintain the family, but were unable to find a nursery place for their daughter. Ombudsman Rosenkranz insisted even then that the little girl should also be offered a place in kindergarten, preferably in the kindergarten that her sister already attends.

However, nothing has been done by the city since the case was first publicised, as Rosenkranz reported this time. In a statement, the City of Vienna listed many good measures in a 5-point plan to improve the staffing situation. "Although 942 nursery, after-school and elementary teachers have joined, 1526 have left in the same period," said Rosenkranz, stating that the intentions may have been well-intentioned, but had ultimately achieved nothing. Although little Florentina had been promised a place for the next kindergarten year, her parents would have been grateful for every day earlier.