Listening: Union leader sceptical of Swiss-EU negotiations
Pierre-Yves Maillard, president of the Swiss Trade Union Confederation, sees no agreement in sight in negotiations with the European Union. He believes wage protection has been further weakened, but he acknowledges progress on certain points of the agreement package.
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Négociations Suisse-UE: Pierre-Yves Maillard se montre sceptique
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Referring to the various elements currently under discussion between Switzerland and the EU, Maillard spoke on Saturday of a “liberalisation project” on Swiss public radio, SRF. These liberalisations would apply to the labour market, the electricity market and the railways, he said.
He also put the effect of a safeguard clause on the free movement of people into perspective: the best protection is good wage protection and controls on the Swiss labour market, he said.
The outcome of the Switzerland-EU negotiations must satisfy the interests of all parties, said Maillard, who sits in the Senate for the left-wing Social Democratic Party.
The negotiations will certainly come to a successful conclusion in the end, he added. The government will then send the dossier to parliament. “We’ll see at that point,” he continued, stressing that, as things stand, he would oppose it.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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