From midnight on Thursday police officers in Zurich have been on strike, refusing to hand out fines for minor traffic offences.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The move is in protest against the city authorities’ cost cutting measures and heavy work load.
The Zurich Police Officers Association has called in a statement for a rise in salaries from 2012 and an increase in the number of officers. It is also protesting about extra night and weekend duties.
“Police chiefs want to squeeze more out of us,” Werner Karlen, the union’s president, told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
During the strike, drivers will only be made aware of minor speeding and parking offences but will not be given a fine. But more serious and dangerous offences will be punished.
The industrial action was originally planned to last 90 days. However, a meeting between union officials, city councillor Daniel Leupi and the chief of Zurich city police is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
The Zurich city police action follows the lead of Geneva police, who refused to wear their uniforms, shave or hand out disciplinary fines during a strike called by their staff union in February.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Geneva minister takes striking police to task
This content was published on
Police employees have failed to don their uniforms, to shave or hand out disciplinary fines during the action, which was called for by their staff union. Isabel Rochat described the attitude of those involved as “totally irresponsible”, adding that serious efforts had been made to improve working conditions. She has called for common sense to…
This content was published on
Sabu managed to break free on Sunday night when her keeper wasn’t watching, headed off to Lake Zurich and took a dip in the water, before stunning onlookers as she strolled down the Bahnhofstrasse, the city’s priciest shopping street. Trailed by her keepers and police with blue lights and sirens, she continued towards the railway…
This content was published on
The authorities say that disabled people and children, who attract more sympathy, are being used by gangs to earn money – in some cases up to SFr500 ($468) each per day. In response, they have launched a pilot programme, named Agora, to crack down on the organised gangs targeting the city. “Hundreds of people are…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.