Allegations of Job Rigging Against Salzburg Chamber of Agriculture: Applicant Files Criminal Complaint

Tie Score and Subsequent Point Deduction

"I have taken note, as the minute-taker, that there was a tie between the female candidate and the male candidate who has now received the position of Chamber Office Director," the news magazine profil quotes one participant as saying. Another hearing participant, Franz Moser, was — according to information from spring 2025 — delegated as the representative of the state in his capacity as a department head of the state government. Schuster says to profil: "And in order to prevent this situation, they simply took a point away from me."

In the criminal complaint, Schuster levels serious allegations: The candidate was assessed as the highest-ranked applicant "on the basis of party-political (…) considerations." It further states: "The evaluation minutes were manipulated." The Salzburg Chamber of Agriculture rejects this: "The Salzburg Chamber of Agriculture can rule out that points (…) were removed." The criminal complaint is currently being reviewed by the Salzburg Public Prosecutor's Office.

Sexual Harassment During the Hearing

Beyond this case, Schuster has raised further allegations: During the hearing, she felt sexually harassed. When she explained the so-called Monkey Management principle — that is, how managers should not delegate tasks to staff — Moser and Chamber President Quehenberger "reacted with laughter and grunting" and "whispered into each other's ears with cupped hands." Schuster speaks of "sexually suggestive behavior toward me" and felt "devalued as a woman."

Before the Equal Treatment Commission, Schuster stated that she had the impression that Moser and Quehenberger, upon hearing a certain term, "thought of sex and sexual acts." The behavior had been "deeply degrading." The office of State Office Director Franz Moser denies the allegations: "Insinuations and other assertions are firmly rejected."

Retroactive Salary Payment of 38,000 Euros

Another point concerns a retroactive salary payment of 38,000 euros to a woman for which, according to Schuster, the approval of the Chamber President was lacking. Moser, who from 2009 to 2016 served as ÖVP (Austrian People's Party) caucus director in the Salzburg state parliament, is no stranger in Salzburg. The job posting for his civil service position required "knowledge of and a positive attitude toward the topics of equal treatment and the advancement of women."

The Chamber of Agriculture argues that it followed the procedure "analogous to" how positions are filled in the state civil service, and that the hearing was not required by law. It calls the discussion "deeply discriminatory" because it suggests that the position holder "was selected because he is a member of a political party." The submission to the Equal Treatment Commission will be "taken very seriously" and "answered in great detail."

Broader Crisis at the Chamber of Agriculture

The affair is set against a backdrop of a series of further problems at the Chamber: After the summary dismissal of the long-serving director and a department head in summer 2025, balance sheet losses in fiscal year 2025, debts amounting to millions, and a dispute over an incompletely published annual financial statement, there is now also the suspicion of job rigging. Schuster herself states that she was dismissed after announcing her intention to file a complaint with the Equal Treatment Ombudsperson.

At the Chamber, those in charge express satisfaction with the new Chamber Office Director Franz Wieser despite the allegations; he is described in a statement to profil as a "stroke of luck." The Equal Treatment Commission and the Public Prosecutor's Office are reviewing the allegations.

The case fits into a broader debate surrounding the State Media Center of the State of Salzburg. An audit report criticizes that the media center "neglected the principles of expediency, economy, and cost-effectiveness" and was not tasked with "vying with the 'tabloid press' for reach and headlines."