At the construction site, signs mark a strike. More than 20,000 construction workers spoke in favor of strike action in a nationwide vote. According to them, the builders association is attacking their rights head-on. Employers wanted to extend working hours and pay older people less.
The Unia union announced on Thursday that 92 percent of those who voted would support the possible strike. In negotiations on the expired national framework agreement, employers wanted to repeal current working time regulations, Unia blamed the Swiss Builders Association.
work on demand
In the future, the association wants to adjust its working hours as soon as possible. This makes working hours non-scheduled and on-call working normal. According to Unia, construction workers are threatened with work and travel times of up to twelve hours a day and 58 hours a week. For health and social reasons, this is unacceptable for the union. Unia argued that these “radical demands” would even contradict labor law.
Construction workers are also demanding real wage increases due to inflation. Unia criticized that employers would attribute this to the abolition of current working time regulations.
Travel to construction site already unpaid today
Even today, 30 minutes of travel time to a construction site would not be paid. Estimated, this results in two weeks of unpaid work per year. This is illegal. However, the employer insists.
The union said that given the shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry, better working conditions and an optimal work-life balance are needed, not mitigation measures. (SDA/smt)