Unions push to raise minimum wage
Trade unions have launched a campaign calling for higher minimum salaries in Switzerland.
They said about 11 per cent of workers in mainly the catering and transport industries earn less than the SFr3,500 ($3,503) proposed benchmark, while one in five people falls below SFr4,000.
The Trade Union Federation said the standard minimum wage should be set at SFr20 an hour, and SFr4,500 a month for trained professionals.
The federation said the situation had improved since its first campaign ten years ago for a SFr3,000 monthly minimum wage, mainly thanks to collective bargaining agreements reached by management and employees in various industries.
Switzerland does not have a minimum wage rate. Instead limits are set in collective agreements and standardised work contracts.
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