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Solution found in construction labour dispute

Builder
Swiss builders will receive CHF150 more a month in effective wages from next year © Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Construction workers and trade unions in Switzerland have reached an agreement in a long-running labour dispute. Builders will receive CHF150 ($158) more a month in effective wages from next year and minimum wages will increase by CHF100 a month.

The new national agreement, reached on Monday night “after intensive negotiations”, will take effect on January 1, the unions and the Swiss Contractors’ Association said in a joint statementExternal link on Tuesday. It will be valid for three years.

The agreement “provides for simplifications in the organisation of working hours and improvements with the aim of increasing the attractiveness of the sector”, the social partners added.

The agreement must now be submitted to the decision-making bodies of both parties. The trade unions’ professional conference will meet on December 10, while the Swiss Contractors’ Association’s assembly of delegates will meet on January 13.

Since mid-October thousands of construction workers across Switzerland have been on isolated strike days to protest for better working conditions.

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