Swiss Unia and Temp Work Association Agree to National Collective Agreement

A first-ever national collective agreement covering 260,000 temporary workers was agreed to by ICEM Swiss affiliate Unia and swissstaffing, an umbrella organisation for labour agencies. The announcement came at a press conference in Zurich on 25 June.

If approved by Switzerland’s federal government, the blanket three-year agreement will take effect 1 January 2009 and cover labour agencies that comprise 70% of all agency work in Switzerland. Previously, labour agreements did exist between Unia and individual branch offices of labour agencies. The proposed agreement will not supplant those accords, but will lend a uniform set of rights for temporary workers, as well check the rampant expansion of temp work in Switzerland.

The national agreement will give first-time collective work rights to some 180,000 temporary employees in over 100 job professions. It will also lift their minimum rates of pay. Although those who work in industrial settings will not see pay increases, they – and the 180,000 others – will realize new rights, such as medical insurance allowances, paid medical leave, better health and safety standards on the job, and continuous training opportunities.

Part-time workers will gain increased levels of these benefits with longer and repeated periods of temporary work.

Unia Co-President Renzo Ambrosetti called it a major step to overcoming the precarious work relationship between employee and employer due to short-term work. “This collective agreement for temporary workers will stem wage dumping, and we now have a means to severely punish the black sheep among labour agencies” who exploit workers, he said.

Charles Bélaz, president of swissstaffing and general manager of Swiss Manpower, called the agreement “historical and innovative.” He added that the accord gives the labour agencies’ association political gain and “enables us to finally be a true social partner.”

Unia and swissstaffing, along with smaller Swiss unions, came to the novel agreement in late May, after a full year of negotiations.