There is no escape from the ‘boss’: the left-wing populist Maillard will be more powerful than ever in 2024

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Who sets the tone in Switzerland? In 2024 it will be “Pym Il Sung”. Pierre-Yves Maillard (55) is sometimes called malicious. Pym, those are the first letters of his first and last name. The wordplay with the North Korean ruling family makes it clear how dominant Maillard is, and not only in the left-wing camp.

This year we cannot ignore the Vaudois SP Council of States and the powerful trade union boss. In the revived EU politics he is effectively a veto, and the chairman of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB) will be omnipresent in the coming weeks. On March 3, the Swiss will vote on a 13th AHV pension. And Maillard will campaign continuously for a yes.

More powerful of the working class

Although weibeln is the wrong word. Maillard always fights hard. He doesn’t know half the stakes. When asked why, he first answers: “It is an honor to be a parliamentarian and SGB president.” Then: “I come from a working-class family and haven’t had the best opportunities. But I have gained a lot of trust from the population, I now want to serve them well.” And finally he adds, “Besides, I’m bored beyond that.”

Maillard grew up in simple circumstances: his father worked as a garage owner and janitor, his mother was a factory worker. Today the son wears the title of working class with visible pride. He lives with his wife and two children in the working-class Renens district of Lausanne, where the SP, the Greens and the Labor Party set the tone. He likes the songs of ‘Boss’ Bruce Springsteen. You will find him at a union meeting at least once a week and on the football field at the weekend.

This well hides the fact that Maillard is now one of the most powerful men in the country. ‘Pym Il Sung’ is feared as a ‘steel helmet socialist’ and valued as a deal maker. He learned the trade from scratch, was a member of the municipal, cantonal, national government and is now a member of the State Council. Only the office of the Federal Council was denied to him. As a union boss, he always knows how to help the Federal Council move forward with referenda and initiatives. Maybe the better deal.

He only knows one subject

In March, Maillard will fight for more pensions. The next vote will take place in June – for more premium cuts. The SP initiative, which requires that no one can pay more than ten percent of their income on health insurance, will be put to the vote. Maillard will lead the referendum against pension fund reform in September at the latest.

“Over the next six months, the population has the opportunity to solve their two most important concerns – the premium burden and pension provision – themselves,” he downplays his role in an interview with Blick. He hopes that “the population will use its power to fight for its own interests.” Because nothing can be expected from the Federal Council and Parliament in the fight against the “most brutal loss of purchasing power in decades”.

What connects AHV, bonuses, pension funds and European policy in Maillard’s eyes is his actual subject: purchasing power. “Purchasing power means freedom,” he says, “means future.”

He knows his numbers

The SP only really discovered the problem in the 2023 election campaign, and Maillard had already called for it in 2018: “We must find solutions for the loss of purchasing power.” This shows how sharp his nose is for upcoming topics. And how good his ability is to expose the core of a problem, or at least to assert such a core. That is sometimes the same in politics.

“The vote in March is crucial,” says Maillard. If you win your 13th AHV pension, you can find better compromises when it comes to contributions and other matters. He does not shy away from populist slogans. “An average AHV pensioner receives as much per year as a federal councilor receives in two weeks,” he says. “This should make our federal council members somewhat aware of how difficult it is to live with an AHV pension.”

Anyone who asks him who has to pay AHV, premiums and everything gets a fireworks display of arguments and figures:

• The AHV will make a profit of between three and four billion in the coming years, which will finance the 13th pension.
• A Federal Council that risked 200 billion to save a private bank should not fuel fears about the AHV’s finances.
• As long as there is room in the federal budget for five billion additional military expenditures, a few hundred million more for the AHV is also possible.

“Blockage? I don’t see that”

Maillard does not shy away from any arena for his fights, including the Albisgüetli, where the SVP of Zurich will hold its traditional conference in mid-January. A difficult place for leftists. But Vaud’s union boss will use his opportunity to speak out against Christoph Blocher (83).

He rails against the loss of purchasing power and thus gets a few more votes for the 13th AHV pension. He will warn against a bad deal with Brussels. Because he knows that only his yes can save the bilateral path and he wants to raise the price for this as high as possible. Which earns him the accusation of blocking a solution. “Blockade? I don’t see that,” he answers heartlessly. “We have the freedom to explain our position.”

And that is: not giving in one bit when it comes to wage protection, nor when it comes to public services. According to Maillard, the unions were the only ones who had made concrete proposals for both. In contrast to employers, the Federal Council and civil parties, he adds and continues to talk about his origins and why he cultivates them in this way. “If you travel alone in federal Bern, you risk making bad compromises and are happy if you can change one more word into a law. You forget the reality there in the country.” In 2024, he will do everything he can to ensure this does not happen.

Source:Blick