A coalition of trade unions and political parties is preparing a referendum to stop industry-wide labour agreements from overriding cantonal and municipal minimum wages.
Parliament recently ruled that industry contracts, known as CLAs, can take precedence over local wage floors — a decision the coalition calls "an attack on all low-wage workers".
Vania Alleva, vice-president of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions and head of Unia, says minimum wages exist to keep taxpayers from indirectly subsidising low-earner households through social assistance.
The next step is to gather enough signatures to force a national vote.
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