Papier-KV 2026 and 2027 forecast

The Papier-KV (Kollektivvertrag für die Arbeiter:innen bzw. Angestellten der Papierindustrie (Papier-, Zellstoff-, Holzschliff- und Pappenindustrie)) covers employees of the paper, pulp and board industry. It is negotiated between WKÖ Fachverband der Papierindustrie (Austropapier) and PRO-GE (Arbeiter:innen) und Gewerkschaft GPA (Angestellte, bis 2020 GPA-djp). It sets a minimum salary for 12 groups with up to 6 steps, currently from €2,477 to €10,564 gross a month. It is paid 14 times a year: the holiday pay and Christmas pay are set by the agreement and taxed at a preferential rate.

It is renegotiated every year, usually from April; the raise applies from 1 May. The starting point is inflation over the reference period, last time April 2025 – March 2026 at 3.35%. The union makes a demand, the employers an offer, and the deal lands in between. It usually has two figures: the minimum raise for the salary table and the actual raise for the salary you really get, also with an over-payment.

What is left of a raise after tax depends on your salary: each extra euro carries social insurance and wage tax at your marginal rate, so net pay usually grows a little less, in percent, than gross. Whether a deal is enough shows in purchasing power: since 2018 actual salaries under the Papier-KV rose by 40.89%, prices over the reference periods by 37.45%.