Member Mail 10 / 2013
Employer wants to go through with it:
Swiss allows brake down of CLA- and pay talks
Dear Colleagues
While SEV-GATA submitted its demands for wage talks, Swiss wanted CLA-negotiations. Swiss wanted to bargain for a higher retirement age, an increase of weekly working hours to 43 and the introduction of annual working hours. The unions asked for lowering the coordination deductions and for adjusting the pension fund contribution splits to the pilot’s system. We also demanded an increase of various bonusses and 1 more day off for all employees.
Negotiations have been dragging on. Already in the first round Swiss frankly indicated that without any economic measures the current CLA would be cancelled by the next possible date (30 June 2014).
Considering the economic pressure within the Lufthansa Group we were prepared to make certain concessions. When Swiss announced, however, that cuts of minimum 3% if not even 5% would have to be made and a zero round would be offered for wage talks, the negotiations broke down.
Already last year we noticed that Swiss had hired staff below the minimum wage scales contrary to the terms of the collective labour agreement. They promised additional payments. In the 2013 accounts we noted infringements on the CLA again. Upon our request Swiss assured us, that they would correct the outstanding wages backdated to 13 December 2013 and inform us accordingly.
We know several cases of CLA-infringements. Please inform us of any further infringements and together with the corresponding proof. In view of further escalations Swiss should be aware that employees and unions will be able to find other ways of handling labour relations, if the CLA is cancelled by Swiss. Apart from cancelling the CLA Swiss offered to talk about “renegotiations for a contract subsequent to the 2011 CLA”.
SEV-GATA Calendar Promotion
Distributing our popular SEV-GATA calendars as we do every year we had exciting discussions with all those interested. Many thanks to all helpers of the committee (Dominik Fischer, Bert Charles Füller and Adreas Breker), to the SEV and SEV-GATA members (Paolo Tuzzi, Matthias Claus and Eugenio Tura) as well as to the SEV-employees (Regula Bieri, Arne Hegland and Susanne Frischknecht).
2013 Membership Campaign
Our membership campaign will soon come to an end. In our 2013/8 member mail you’ve got detailed information on all the attractive prizes. But now the most important thing is to determine the quality of the working conditions. Your membership pays, especially if you look at the quality of the future CLA. Join SEV-GATA now and co-determine CLA priorities with us! Further info on our website or by mail!
Yours faithfully
SEV-GATA, your union of the aviation industry
Philipp Hadorn, president GATA: SEV-Aviation
/ www.sev-gata.ch / www.sev-online.ch