Peace of work

The peace of work indicates, in Suisse, a convention passed between Syndicat S and employers in 1937 then, by extension, the whole of the Swiss collective agreements concluded since this date.

Historical context

The European and world economic crises successive of 1921, 1930 and 1936 touch hard Switzerland, whose economy then is mainly turned towards export and tourism. In particular, the sectors of the Clock industry and the restoration are victims of several bankruptcies, causing the setting with the unemployment of more than: 124000 people in January 1936.

Among the many measurements taken by the federal governments and cantonal, one notes a considerable development of the production Hydro-électrique by the startup of several Barrage S, thus allowing to reduce the energy dependence of the country towards the foreigner. In same time, the Swiss franc is devaluated of 30%, thus leaving the parity Or for the first time. Lastly, the federal government introduces the direct federal Impôt, intended to help of the companies, in particular in the banking field.

These social measures, coupled with the development of the Swiss Socialist party as well as the catch by the federal government of a decree authorizing “the federal Department of the public Economy to arbitrate office and without call the conflicts of collective wages” brought the various classes economic to approach and at sets up bipartite agreements of prevention of the social conflicts.

Detail of the agreements

It is following a strike of the workers of the dial in the mountains neuchâteloises that an peace agreement social called agreement of the peace of work is signed on July 19th, 1937 between the trade unions of the Métallurgie (represented by Konrad Ilg) and owners (represented by Ernst Dübi). It obliges all the trade unions signatories to give up the Grève in the event of conflict, but prohibited in counterpart with the owners of practices the Lock-out of the companies. In spite of the little of enthusiasm of the trade-union base, the agreement is ratified mainly with an aim of avoiding an interference of the Federal state.

Contrary to a largely spread idea, this agreement is not the first collective agreement signed in Switzerland. Indeed, after the carpenters of Geneva in 1857 and the typographers of Saint-Gall in 1861, such conventions were negotiated on the federal level by the brewers in 1906, the typographers the following year and the plumbers in 1911.

Thereafter, various collective agreements are signed on the same model, in almost all the economic domains. Certain conventions soften however the prohibition of the right to strike which becomes tolerated in the event of last recourse and only for one object which is not covered by convention. These agreements take part largely in a practice collaborationnist of the Swiss trade unions like to their integration in the various official structures.

From bipartite agreement the collective agreements of peace of work go gradually, starting from the Années 1950, to become tripartite, the State becoming guaranteeing good applications of the decisions and recognizing the trade unions like managements and labor. Finally, the collective agreements are made compulsory in 1943 by the Federal council which reserves the role of referee. The prolongation of the convention of peace of work in the metallurgy signed in 1944 will contribute to the birth in social Switzerland of the post-war period, in particular in this field by the adoption in 1956 preventing of a law that owners or workers not - covers by an collective agreement can mean on less favorable conditions only this one.

The peace of work to the 21e century

At the beginning of the 21e century, the Swiss account approximately 600 collective agreements of work (for half defining an unlimited peace of work and for the other relative half) into force which relate to only 40% of the employees. However, the peace of work became “at the same time an institution and a myth”, although frequently announced like dying woman or in danger.

April 9th 2003 for example, the collective agreement of work of the industry of the machines (most important of the country) is renewed for two years following four years of negotiations between managements and labor. In Switzerland, the strike “became a taboo because one idealized it while referring at his origins. But there always were strikes and peace is not a myth, it is a reality of the power struggle between trade unions and employers, but wanted by the State”

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