Workplace Switzerland

French strike runs Swiss refinery out of fuel

This content was published on Oct 27, 2010 The petroleum group Petroplus said it had started to shut down its refinery in Cressier near Lake Neuchâtel after a labour strike at the French port in Fos Sur Mer had disrupted the flow of crude oil to the facility. The Zug-based company said the restart of the refinery depended on how long the strike…

Trainees put a stamp on their post office

This content was published on Oct 25, 2010 To coincide with an annual apprenticeship conference of representatives from the federal and cantonal authorities and labour organisations, swissinfo.ch visited one such post office in the town of Biel. It is a real challenge for the 17 to 19-year-old retail apprentices. They carry out all the tasks, organise and run the office all by themselves.…

Unemployment aid could be better coordinated

This content was published on Oct 21, 2010 In a study published on Thursday, the OECD found that Switzerland had an efficient labour market policy with generous transfer payments and relatively high spending for its unemployment measures. Yet the study recommended that the federal government do more to optimise the efforts of the cantonal placement offices and the individual employment agencies. The study…

Minimum wage set for domestic workers

This content was published on Oct 20, 2010 Workers who have a qualification gained after two years of study should be paid SFr22, they said. These new wages will go into effect starting on January 1, 2011 as part of a new standard employment contract. The legislation had been recommended by the federal commission set up to examine issues surrounding legislation on the…

Geneva struggles to attract foreign business

This content was published on Oct 7, 2010 The city has been at a housing and transport standstill for years, and without the necessary infrastructure Geneva could not cope with a large influx of people, should a major firm want to relocate there. “We would hesitate to welcome a company with more than 5,000 employees, because we would not know where to house…

Strong Swiss franc alarms unions and exporters

This content was published on Oct 5, 2010 The franc has appreciated by ten per cent against the euro since the start of 2010, much to the disquiet of unions and exporters. But economists say the impact of a strong franc on Swiss firms is not black or white. At the beginning of September the Swiss logistics firm Stöcklin, based in Dornach, south…

Alstom announces major job cuts

This content was published on Oct 4, 2010 The French company announced the decision on Monday, blaming the impact of the economic crisis on the coal and gas plant equipment markets. Germany and the United States are the other two countries earmarked for substantial staff cutbacks. Alstom said the cost-saving measures “would be implemented in Europe and North America where the new equipment…

Executive pay continues to confound

This content was published on Sep 30, 2010 However, another survey produced earlier this year painted a rather darker picture, with the financial sector in particular being accused of excessively inflating executive pay and failing to fully disclose compensation policies. In the background lurks a possible national vote on executive pay and a separate ongoing campaign to persuade more top companies to give…

Daily life of the unemployed

This content was published on Sep 24, 2010 Job centres, job interviews, work assignment programmes – all part of the daily life of the unemployed.

Economic growth likely to stall in 2011

This content was published on Sep 16, 2010 The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said on Thursday that overall the prospects for next year were “less positive than recently assumed”. “As a consequence of the lively economic revival up to the middle of the year in Switzerland, the [Seco] expert group has increased the government’s growth forecast for 2010 to 2.7 per…

Workplace Switzerland

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Workplace Switzerland

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French strike runs Swiss refinery out of fuel

More

Trainees put a stamp on their post office

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Unemployment aid could be better coordinated

More

Minimum wage set for domestic workers

More

Geneva struggles to attract foreign business

More

Strong Swiss franc alarms unions and exporters

More

Alstom announces major job cuts

More

Executive pay continues to confound

More

Daily life of the unemployed

More

Economic growth likely to stall in 2011

Popular Stories

Most Discussed