Press Release of 21 October 2022
Swiss Ground Staff
Significant Wage Increases
After problematic mass redundancies, the premature introduction of a Crisis CLA and the resulting staff shortages caused by this, Swiss is once again adapting its treatment of ground staff: "The noticeable wage increases as of 1 January 2023 suggest that the management, at least for ground staff, has recognised the need to catch up in terms of appreciation via the wallet after the pandemic," says Philipp Hadorn, President of the ground staff union SEV-GATA.
After challenging but constructive negotiations, the approximately 1,500 CLA subordinates of Swiss ground staff receive the following benefits:
The wage bill is generally increased by 3.3%. Lower incomes receive the highest raises, but a minimum of 2% is granted to all employees. In addition, 1% is used for individual wage measures. The details of the distribution will be defined with the trade unions in the coming weeks.
The "Covid premium" of CHF 2,500 / FTE (full-time position) from the agreement "Temporary Cost Reduction Measures Due to the Corona Crisis" (Crisis CLA) will be paid to those who are eligible in full, in a single payment, in December 2022.
Furthermore, in November, Swiss will pay out the remainder of the "Covid Thank You Payment" of CHF 2,000 / FTE, of which it has already paid out CHF1,000 in May 2022. According to the CLA Art. 32, a variable remuneration for the year 2022 is to follow in March 2023 – foreseeably with a maximum amount of CHF 3,200 / FTE.
Complaints against Swiss in court concerning the violation of the statutory consultation procedure in the case of mass layoffs are still pending. There is also a need for improvement concerning shiftwork and on-call duties. "A first step towards a social partnership on an equal footing’is to be acknowledged," Philipp Hadorn notes with regard to the wage agreement and adds: "But Swiss still has considerable room for improvement when it comes to dealing with its employees and the trade unions – we are working on this."