Member Mail 1/2011
Minimum Wage Campaign
Yes to Gun Control Initiative: Confederate Referendum on 13 February 2011
Election year 2011 – Improve Protection of Employees and Social Services
Dear Member
An exciting year lies ahead. Air traffic is still facing big challenges. At the same time one can see that Switzerland has become a significant hub and is playing an important role again in Europe. Also the financial crisis doesn’t seem to have hit Switzerland far as hard as expected. Therefore this year we must seize the opportunity to establish benchmarks safeguarding the employees’ rights: The social future of Switzerland is renewable - in 2011 we get a chance!
Minimum Wage Campaign
Trade unions are sure: a low-wage policy doesn’t give positive prospects for Switzerland. For reasons of human dignity alone a person working full time should be able to lead a decent life on his income. Human work is no cheap merchandise. Therefore we need the minimum wage initiative.
In Switzerland today every ninth employee (male and female) is working for a poverty pay. With wages of less than 3’800 Francs many employees are reduced to poverty and need imcome support although working fulltime. The market has no answer to the problem of poverty pay. Therefore it’s about time to put an end to the degrading minimum wages. With our minimum-wage campaign we demand statutory minimum wages of 4'000.- Francs for all, because higher minimum wages directly improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and families.
In the next few days a petition for the minimum-wage campaign will start. Of course we’ll send you the corresponding signature sheets upon request (so far only Swiss citizens are entitled to sign).
Yes to Gun-Control Initiative: Confederate Referendum on 13 February 2011
Yes, there is a reason indeed, why the unions take a stand in the present initiative: Beside the questions of numerous suicides and potential dangers for other persons the unions talk about “safeguarding competence and know-how“.
For decades unionists have been fighting for qualifications: General standards must be set up in grades for special competences to make them assessable. This will strengthen all those, disposing of certain abilities and skills. Employers, for example, will know more easily how and where to place employees. The initiative “protection from the force of arms” demands exactly the same thing: to evaluate and improve, if necessary, the competence and capability of persons using arms. Persons who want to have guns or need them for their hobbies (hunting, collecting, sporting etc.) must prove that they are qualified for using arms and make sure they use them competently and responsibly. If every motor-bike has got to be registered, it might as well be possible to identify the owner of a gun. Of course he should make sure to keep it somewhere safe.
Particularly unionists know that qualifications, certificates and licences don’t only mean a quality assurance but also an esteem to the person holding such a certificate. Unionists should contribute to ensure that competences and know-how are made assessable and clearly say yes to the initiative on 13 February 2011.
Election year 2011 – Improve the Protection of Employees and Social Services
In Switzerland the confederate parliament will be elected for the coming 4 years on 23 October 2011. Members of the National Council and the upper chamber are playing a crucial role in current labor laws, pension scheme, unemployment insurance and other social services. Let’s get involved with democratic means. “The social future of Switzerland is renewable”!
With committed regards
SEV-GATA, your union of the aviation industry!
Philipp Hadorn, president
philipp.hadorn@sev-o
nline.chwww.sev-gata.ch / www.sev-online.ch