Press release, June 20, 2023
Employment Conditions Logistics Market Switzerland
The delivery industry agrees on a collective agreement
Since the end of 2021, the largest employers and associations in the Swiss logistics market have been working with the social partners syndicom and transfair to develop common principles for employment conditions in the delivery industry. The partners have now agreed on a collective agreement (CBA) that defines binding standards. These should apply to employees across the entire Swiss delivery industry, including subcontractors. The future social partners agree that the new "CBA Delivery" should be declared generally binding. If the Federal Council approves the plan, between 35,000 and 40,000 employees in Switzerland could soon benefit from fair employment conditions and binding minimum wages.
The employees of logistics companies make a significant contribution to the Swiss economy and society. Every day, they supply private households and companies with all kinds of deliveries. Until now, there have been no consistent regulations for the employment of employees who carry out this demanding delivery work.
At the end of 2021, the syndicom union and the transfair staff association, together with the Swiss Delivery Association, which includes the largest employers and several employers' associations, therefore started negotiations on a collective agreement (CBA). The aim was to guarantee minimum standards for all employees in the delivery industry. An important milestone has now been reached: on June 1, 2023, the partners successfully concluded the CBA negotiations.
Up to now, there have been certain minimum requirements for services within the meaning of the Postal Act. This applies to employees who accept, sort and deliver addressed letters, newspapers, magazines and packages weighing up to 30 kilograms. However, these provisions do not cover the entire delivery labor market. The new collective agreement is intended to apply to the entire delivery sector, including employees of subcontractors and employees who tolerate unaddressed advertising and free newspapers.
Goal: A generally binding collective agreement for the entire Swiss delivery industry
The result of the negotiations is subject to the condition that the bodies of all negotiating partners approve the agreement. This ratification will take place in the course of 2023. After ratification, the contracting parties will answer questions about the specific content of the CBA. In a next step, the partners will submit an application to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO for general applicability. This would mean that all companies in the area of delivery would be subject to the CBA. If the Federal Council approves general applicability, the CBA will come into force. When this will be the case depends on how quickly these processes progress.
Important achievement in a demanding market
In total, between 35,000 and 40,000 employees in Switzerland could soon benefit from standards such as binding minimum wages, which are regulated in the generally binding "CBA delivery". The CBA is an important achievement in an industry that is facing many challenges. This makes fair regulations all the more important for employees who perform a great job every day. The negotiating parties agree that the demanding market environment should not have any negative consequences for the employment conditions of employees.
The companies Post, DHL, DPD, Planzer KEP and Quickpac/Quickmail as well as the KEP+Mail association, the courier association, the Swissmessengerlogistic association and the newspaper and advertising delivery association negotiated on the employer side. They are all organized in the Swiss Delivery Association. The syndicom union and the transfair staff association represented the employee side.