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Public-sector employees down tools

This content was published on Sep 15, 2005 The day of action came one week after the Swiss government unveiled proposals to overhaul and slim down the civil service. The demonstration, held under the banner “Public service: the foundation of our society”, was jointly organised by 17 unions. Thousands of people took to the streets in a series of coordinated protest events. Organisers…

Voters to decide on alternative medicine

This content was published on Sep 15, 2005 The government decided more than three months ago to cut five types of therapy from basic cover as it battles to reduce spiralling health costs. Backers of complementary medicine have collected 140,000 signatures in just under a year to force a nationwide vote. They had until next March to gather the required 100,000 signatures. Their…

Farmers asked to do better with less

This content was published on Sep 14, 2005 The Swiss Farmers’ Association condemned the proposal, saying that it would put more pressure on an already ailing industry. Announcing the plans on Wednesday, Economics Minister Joseph Deiss said the government also expected “agriculture to make efforts to restructure itself”. He added that the government’s 2011 agriculture-reform programme would increase competitiveness and further open up…

Letter delivery monopoly to be lifted

This content was published on Sep 14, 2005 It is the latest step towards privatising the state–owned company and opening the postal market to other licensed competitors. Swiss Post, which currently holds a monopoly on all letters delivered in the country, will face competition for the delivery of letters over 100 grams from April next year. Companies wishing to offer a delivery service…

Switzerland lies on top of the wealth tree

This content was published on Sep 13, 2005 At the other end of the scale, sub-Saharan African countries are the poorest, with Ethiopia having only a per capita wealth of $1,965. The study, Where is the Wealth of Nations?, was launched in New York on Tuesday on the eve of the 2005 United Nations World Summit. In it the authors have used new…

Retailers move into the mobile-phone market

This content was published on Sep 13, 2005 Migros and Coop began offering competing pre-paid mobile-phone packages on Tuesday in a bid to lure more business to their stores. The Swiss mobile phone market has until now been dominated by three operators: Swisscom, majority-owned by the Swiss government; Orange, a subsidiary of France Telecom; and Sunrise, whose main shareholder is Tele Denmark. Migros…

Drugs prices set to drop

This content was published on Sep 13, 2005 Consumer organisations said the agreement was a step in the right direction, but more needed to be done. The move is aimed at reducing the gap between the price of medication in Switzerland and other European countries, the Federal Health Office and the pharmaceutical industry said on Tuesday. The measures, which are due to come…

Closer science ties with Israel raise hackles

This content was published on Sep 13, 2005 But there are fears that dealing with the Israelis could undermine Switzerland’s standing in the Middle East. Couchepin hopes to sign a formal declaration of intention with the Israelis during his four-day trip and make up for a lack of any agreement on research between Switzerland and Israel. “It’s not an accord, but it will…

Hospital hires foreigners in boom times

This content was published on Sep 13, 2005 Her boss, head of nursing Barbara Brühwiler, says the Swiss economy – rather than the easing of labour restrictions for European Union nationals – determines how many foreign workers she hires. Schau, who is 29 years old, comes from near Frankfurt. She had a permanent job in Germany but wanted to broaden her horizons. “During…

German bourse aims for another Swiss as CEO

This content was published on Sep 12, 2005 Francioni was recommended by Deutsche Börse to replace Werner Seifert, who resigned as chief executive in May after a failed attempt to take over the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The Frankfurt stock exchange operator said on Monday the personnel committee of its supervisory board had recommended the move. Francioni has accepted the nomination. Reuters news…

Internal: Archive

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Internal: Archive

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Public-sector employees down tools

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Voters to decide on alternative medicine

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Farmers asked to do better with less

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Letter delivery monopoly to be lifted

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Switzerland lies on top of the wealth tree

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Retailers move into the mobile-phone market

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Drugs prices set to drop

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Closer science ties with Israel raise hackles

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Hospital hires foreigners in boom times

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German bourse aims for another Swiss as CEO

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