Milestones
Social partnership has primarily to start with the employees and be actively practised by them. In 2010 Migros’s employees did so in every respect. Forty-seven personnel committees were reappointed, 439 women and men democratically elected to represent their fellow workers, an employees’ federation established and the first collective work agreement concluded in the Swiss travel and tourism sector.
Employees have sent a strong message with the reappointment of their personnel committee. The candidature of the 439 women and men elected was supported by over 5'000 of their colleagues. Several tens of thousands of votes were cast in the election, and 68% of the electorate were women. The proportion of women on the personnel committees, which have co-decision powers and co-determination rights as social partners at company level, rose accordingly to over 41%. This far exceeds the proportion of women in other employee organisations, which is between 20% and 30%.
New travel employees’ federation
Workers in the Travel business unit have found their own way to underline their desire for a democratically legitimised and representative social partnership that is committed to their interests. In 2010 they established without further ado their own employees’ federation. While only 21% of workers in Switzerland are members of one of the employee associations that have been around for decades, within just a few weeks the travel employees’ federation managed to achieve a level of organisation of over 30%. It has successfully campaigned for the conclusion of the travel collective work agreement which, being tailored to the specific circumstances of the Travel business unit, guarantees working conditions of the highest standard. The new federation has therefore at the same time concluded the first collective work agreement in the travel and tourism sector anywhere in Switzerland.