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On Monday they will take to the streets again: tens of thousands of trade unionists. From Schaffhausen to Bellinzona, from Chur to Geneva, they show their power.
A power that fades away. In 2005, all trade unions still had 770,000 members, now there are 656,000. This is not a new phenomenon. Swiss unions have been losing members for decades.
For many reasons: «The world of work is shorter these days. It is more divided into smaller companies. And there are six times more temporary jobs than before,” says the spokesperson for the trade union federation (SGB) Urban Hodel. “That makes union organization more difficult, of course.”
Even more power
Does the power go out too? Only at first glance. As Hodel and others from Employees Switzerland to Unia point out, they are now negotiating wages and benefits for two million people, twice as many as 20 years ago. Unlike then, collective labor agreements (GAV) now apply not only to union members, but especially to all employees in an industry.
And unions are supposed to have veto power. Political reforms that touch on the social issue are hardly ignored. September 25 was different. Then they lost their first fight in years. An important fight: Switzerland voted yes with 50.5 percent to raising the retirement age for women to 65 years.
After the fight is before the fight
“The defeat in the AHV vote was painful, yes,” admits trade union leader Pierre-Yves Maillard (55). But the bourgeoisie would have had to change its agenda because of the tight exit: a planned further increase in the retirement age is off the table. And anyway: «It’s not like the unions won every vote. The right of veto of the SGB, especially when it comes to pensions, is now greater than before.”
And the next battle has begun. Switzerland is likely to vote on March 3, 2024 on the referendum against the reform of the pension fund, the initiative for a 13th AHV pension and the SP initiative for a ceiling on health insurance premiums. Although the latter was launched by the comrades, it was written by the SGB. A great day of struggle for Maillard and his family.
Fight is the right word. Because the battles are getting harder and harder. Valentin Vogt (62) assumes that. The president of the employers’ association is Maillard’s natural adversary and sometimes an ally. Less and less, however, as Vogt says: When Maillard took over as SGB boss in 2019, the collaboration was very constructive. “Unfortunately this has gotten worse in recent years. Now the trade union federation is just as dogmatic as it was under former president Paul Rechsteiner.” That is a pity. Switzerland faces many challenges, such as a shortage of skilled workers and reform of the second pillar.
No joy in social partnership
This drives Maillard up the wall: “Vogt has nerves!” While he defended the compromise on the reform of the pension fund with all his might and closed his own ranks, “the employers, on the other hand, deliberately torpedoed the compromise behind the scenes, so that it did not pass in parliament”. That’s where the joy of social partnership ends.
From Maillard’s point of view, the other side is radicalizing – precisely with the demand that the Swiss must increase their workload. It is a “scandal” that people are talked into their lives. He hopes that the arbiter in direct democracy – the people – will say clearly in the fall elections and in the vote: “If not!”
More members
The unions will use these ballots to mobilize. And they have been investing for years in their spread in sectors formed by women, such as retail, care, the cleaning sector, but also in childcare, says SGB spokesperson Hodel. And: “Women need strong unions.” If they organize themselves better, “then wages will also increase”. As a result, the number of female members is also increasing in these sectors.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
