Workplace Switzerland

Report gives thumbs up to EU labour accord

This content was published on Jun 29, 2006 This was the main finding of a government report published on Thursday which concluded that the agreement has not led to a new wave of immigration, nor has it greatly affected salary levels or unemployment rates. The report, by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) and the migration and statistics offices, reviewed the job…

Swiss out on a limb over health and safety

This content was published on Jun 16, 2006 Switzerland was the only country to vote against the convention at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) annual conference in Geneva, which ended on Friday. Jean-Claude Prince, head of ILO affairs at the Swiss Trade Union Federation, said Switzerland’s stance was “hideous” and a severe blow to the country’s image in terms of labour relations. The…

Young employees may work more shifts

This content was published on Jun 15, 2006 The House of Representatives voted on Thursday by 100 votes to 72 to change the industrial law, thus ending a debate which was basically between unions and employers. Unions and left-wing politicians had fought for the age of legal protection for employees and apprentices to remain at 19 and 20 respectively and for those workers…

Women demand equal pay for equal work

This content was published on Jun 14, 2006 A number of activities to mark “equal pay day” have been taking place to highlight that women are paid on average 20 per cent less than men for the same job, including protest actions and discussions. The nationwide campaign – which is being supported by the unions – is distributing cards shaped like 50-franc notes,…

Trade unionists share lessons across borders

This content was published on May 8, 2006 Sahra Ryklief is director of South Africa’s Labour Research Service (LRS), an NGO which works to strengthen the collective bargaining capacity of trade unions. Ryklief has just wrapped up a week’s visit to Switzerland at the invitation of Swiss Labour Assistance (SLA), which runs a “Solidarity” programme in South Africa. In a speech on Labour…

Young foreigners need better integration

This content was published on May 2, 2006 While the office gave a generally positive evaluation of integration in the country, it warned that some youngsters could face poverty and exclusion if not helped. The report, released on Tuesday, stated that the most important factor for successful integration was access to jobs, but that many people had trouble finding work. Integration should be…

Job market facing sea change

This content was published on Apr 30, 2006 Renzo Ambrosetti, co-president of Unia, Switzerland’s largest single trade union, and Peter Hasler, director of the Swiss Employers’ Association, give swissinfo their views of the Swiss job market. Labour Day, on May 1, is traditionally an opportunity to consider relations between employers and employees including a look back over the past year. 2005 was marked…

Unions try again for flexible retirement

This content was published on Mar 28, 2006 More than 107,000 signatures were collected in nine months for the initiative, which when verified, will result in another nationwide vote on the pensions issue. The electorate turned down two previous initiatives in November 2000, mainly over fears of spiralling costs. The French-speaking part of the country and canton Bern each provided a quarter of…

Redundancies confirmed at metal factory

This content was published on Mar 24, 2006 The company said the month-long industrial action earlier this year had resulted in a 30 per cent drop in customers. Mediation talks between Swissmetal and union and employee representatives are ongoing as both sides seek to resolve the dispute over the future of the site. The strike, which was halted on February 23, was called…

Unions and employers up war of words

This content was published on Mar 19, 2006 Employers have said they will tear up collective work contracts if the unions go ahead with the strikes – which are a relatively rare occurrence in the country. The latest war of words was ignited by a decision by the construction firm, Marti, to raise the working hours from 45 to 48 hours a week…

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