Public service union backs minimum wage initiative

Switzerland

The VPÖD-SSP public services union has leant its support to the initiative by the SGB/USS confederation to submit a petition with 110,000 signatures to the government and regions (cantons) to introduce a national minimum wage. The target wage is 22 CHF (€18) an hour (4000 CHF (€3300) per month based on a 42-hour week). An estimated 400,000 workers currently earn less than this and three quarters of them are women. Unions in the public sector have already secured 4000 CHF as a minimum wage although this is under threat from privatisation and only action by VPÖD-SSP ensured that the minimum would be applied following privatisation of cleaning in Geneva where the employers had wanted to introduce a minimum of only 17 CHF (€14) an hour.
Read more in French at > SSP
And in German at > VPÖD

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