Travail Suisse threatens to oppose EU treaty package

Travail Suisse president Adrian Wüthrich has warned that Switzerland’s trade union federation could oppose the EU treaty package if parliament changes an agreed compromise on wage protection, SRF reported on Saturday. “We support the package, but not at any price,” Wüthrich said.

Wüthrich criticised the Economic Affairs and Taxation Committee of the Council of States after it approved changes to, or dropped, three of the 14 wage protection measures submitted by the Federal Council. Trade unions and employers had jointly agreed on 13 of the measures after lengthy negotiations.

The most contentious issue is the requirement for companies in certain sectors to pay a deposit before carrying out work in Switzerland. The deposit is intended to ensure that fines are paid if a company breaches wage regulations.

The EU wants the general deposit requirement abolished. Under the proposed treaty package, only companies that had previously breached wage regulations would still have to pay one. The Council of States committee, however, wants to retain the current, stricter rules.

Wüthrich acknowledged that dropping the deposit requirement would significantly weaken wage protection in Switzerland. He said the social partners had agreed on several compensatory measures, creating a “workable project” that would allow wage protection to be maintained and modernised.

If the deposit requirement remains, however, it is unclear how the EU would respond, Wüthrich said. “The problem is that we cannot maintain our good relationship with the EU this way,” he said.

It remains uncertain whether the Economic Affairs and Taxation Committee will prevail in the full Council of States. The Foreign Affairs Committee recommended on Friday that its proposals be rejected. The chamber is therefore expected to consider conflicting recommendations from the two committees during its autumn session.

Wüthrich said Travail Suisse would reconsider its position if the wage protection compromise collapsed. “We have always said that we will give our assurance if all 14 measures in the wage package are adopted in full,” he said. Asked whether opposing the EU treaty package was an option if that did not happen, he replied: “Of course.”