Workplace Switzerland

UN berated over employment practices

This content was published on Mar 21, 2002 New Wood says it is shocked by the number of UN employees in Geneva who are maintained on short-term or temporary contracts, which deny them many of the benefits enjoyed by other staff. The union puts the number of people in this precarious position at some 4,000 people. It says around 25 per cent of…

Swiss builders reach accord on retirement age

This content was published on Mar 18, 2002 On Monday, union representatives reached a last-minute agreement with the Swiss Building Association (SBV) to reduce the current retirement age by five years from 65 to 60. The deal, which still needs to be officially signed by both parties, would come into effect within four years. The accord comes just two days after more than…

Swiss builders want to retire earlier

This content was published on Mar 16, 2002 The workers have threatened to start a nation-wide strike on April 3 if negotiations with employers fail. “Retirement at 60 should rapidly become an integral part of workers’ contracts,” said Vasco Pedrina, head of the Swiss building and industry union (GBI) during Saturday’s protest. “We will show our strength and determination in April if our…

Swiss wages second highest in Europe

This content was published on Feb 23, 2002 However, the study also found that Switzerland has one of the largest wage disparities between high and low paid workers in Europe – ranging from SFr18-735 ($10.60-$432.86) per hour. The new European survey by the London-based Federation of European Employers has found that only Danish workers earn more than the Swiss. Also, Swiss women continue…

Triumph hits back at critics

This content was published on Feb 15, 2002 Swiss-based Triumph announced at the end of January that it was halting production and laying off 1,000 workers in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The announcement came after increasing pressure on the garment manufacturer from unions and non-governmental organisations over the human rights situation in the South-East Asian country. The Geneva-based International Labour Organization, which…

Fewer Swiss work for ICRC

This content was published on Feb 2, 2002 In the ten years since the ICRC abandoned its rule of employing only Swiss nationals, the proportion of Swiss working for the organisation has declined markedly. Nowadays around 40 per cent of delegate positions are filled by foreigners, who account for 237 of the 588 ICRC delegates, and their numbers have increased by ten per…

Watchmakers sign new agreement

This content was published on Jan 23, 2002 Switzerland’s largest union, the Watch and Metal Workers Union (FTMH), and the industry’s main employers’ group, the National Watchmakers Association, concluded the agreement after 10 months of negotiation. The text of the new agreement, the twelfth of its kind since 1937, contains clauses that effectively deter salary increases. The agreement is valid for the next…

Greater protection needed for flexible workers

This content was published on Jan 13, 2002 Director Jürg Krummenacher says it is not a question of “demonising” employers but of ensuring employees do not lose out. “The main intention should be to guarantee social security for everybody and there are a lot of measures which can be taken, such as insurance for all, insurance for accidents but also for illness which…

One in ten Swiss jobs “unstable”

This content was published on Nov 7, 2001 The Swiss non-governmental organisation, Caritas, has published a report saying that employers often fail to provide adequate social security or job stability. Many of the employees faced with poor labour conditions work in temporary jobs, standby positions or on short-term contracts. At a press conference on Tuesday Caritas director Jürg Krummenacher appealed to employers not…

More Swiss women than men work on standby

This content was published on Oct 19, 2001 According to the report, which was published by the Federal Office for Statistics on Thursday, 106,000 women worked on call during the second quarter of this year. In contrast, only 55,000 men were employed in this way. The total number of people working on call represented five per cent of Switzerland’s workforce. Half of these…

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