German-speaking construction workers stage protest over working conditions
Some 2,000 construction workers from German-speaking cantons gathered in Zurich on Friday to call for improvements to their working conditions.
Building sites were stopped as construction workers took part in the demonstration in the city centre, organised by the Unia and Syna unions at midday on Friday.
Since October 17, around 15,000 construction workers have taken part in protests in across Switzerland against “disproportionate demands by contractors”.
They are unhappy with long hours – 12-hour working days or 58-hour weeks – which they say endanger workers’ health and private lives.
The demonstrations are part of a series of protests seeking a re-negotiation of the national construction industry wage agreement. Previous demos have taken place in Basel and cantons Valais and Ticino.
The current agreement, which covers about 80,000 workers, expires at the end of the year.
The unions say master builders make a wage increase dependent on accepting a number of measures, notably classifying long-serving construction workers in lower wage categories and shortening their notice periods.
The Swiss Society of Entrepreneurs (SSE) has criticised the strike actions, as they come ahead of a seventh round of negotiations between social partners.
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