Dispute over collective labor agreement Building contractor warns of "conditions like in Eastern Europe"
Master builders and construction workers have been arguing for months about a wage increase in the construction industry in Switzerland. The next round of negotiations is taking place today. Without an agreement, there is a threat of a nationwide industry strike from January.
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- A tough labor dispute is raging in the Swiss construction industry.
- Master builders and construction workers have been arguing for months about a new collective labor agreement.
- The nine rounds of negotiations on a new contract to date have failed to produce an agreement.
- One building contractor is now warning that "conditions like those in Eastern Europe" could arise in Switzerland if the unions insist on their maximum demands and no collective labor agreement can be negotiated.
- In his opinion, the consequences would be undeclared work, wage dumping and poor working conditions.
- The tenth round of negotiations is scheduled for today, Friday.
- In the worst case scenario, there is a threat of a national industry strike from January, according to the trade unions and the Federation of Master Builders.
According to Blick, the Swiss Federation of Master Builders (SBV) could find itself without a collective employment contract (CEC) - known in the industry as a national contract - next year. "The trade unions are insisting on their maximum demands.
This means we are threatened with a situation without a contract next year," construction contractor Hans Aregger told the newspaper. "Then the construction industry will be threatened by conditions like those in Eastern Europe: undeclared work, wage dumping and poor working conditions. The dubious companies will exploit this," said Aregger, who is also on the board of the Lucerne Association of Master Builders.
The master builders and construction workers have been arguing for months about a new CLA. The contract regulates wages, working hours and other working conditions. The current CLA expires at the end of December. The nine rounds of negotiations on a new contract to date have failed to produce an agreement. The tenth round of negotiations is now scheduled for today, Friday.
The unions are criticizing the working hours, which are becoming longer and are not family-friendly. There would also be less pay for employees. The association, on the other hand, points to the highest minimum wages in the Swiss construction industry in Europe, writes SRF. Nevertheless, it wants to continue to adjust wages in line with inflation. The annual working time or average weekly working time of 40.5 hours should also be maintained.
National industry strike possible
According to the unions, the worst-case scenario is a situation without a contract and a national industry strike from January. If the master builders are not willing to compromise, "there will be no solution", the unions say. In this case, a situation without a contract would automatically come into effect on January 1, 2026 - "for the first time in over a decade".
The Federation of Master Builders announced on Wednesday that it had filed a lawsuit against the Unia union for breach of the peace obligation following demonstrations on construction sites in November. The union rejected the accusations.
