Swiss Unions Back Government in Crucial Immigration Question

(Bloomberg) — Switzerland’s unions said the country should stick with the European Union’s free movement of people as it’s the best available worker immigration system, giving important support to the government as it tries to secure public approval for a new economic deal with the bloc.

The backing is valuable as unions have at times resisted measures that could ease immigration, which is a deeply contentious issue in Switzerland. The free movement treaty with the EU — in force since 2002 — has been subject to repeated attacks, particularly from right-wing politicians.

The Swiss Federation of Trade Unions said in a report that the “free movement of persons, combined with effective wage protection, performs better than quota or points systems, as a comparison shows.”

The organization compared Switzerland’s framework — which allows EU citizens to immigrate if they can show a work and a rental contract — to those in Canada, Australia and the UK.

Traditionally, unions were against free movement because they feared it would undermine high Swiss wages, the federation’s chief economist, Daniel Lampart, told Neue Zuercher Zeitung in an interview published Friday. Since then, “a huge learning process” has taken place, he said “Over time, we came to the conclusion that this system is the best.”

Immigration is likely to play a major part in the campaign ahead of a planned national referendum on the new EU accord. The government has said that the Swiss economy depends on foreign workers. On Wednesday, it decided to push for a type of plebiscite that should boost the plan’s chances of being approved.

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