Social partners as stakeholders

In Germany or France, legislation is less liberal. The right of co-determination is comprehensively elaborated and forces companies above a certain size to take into account the say of trade unions or works councils. In Switzerland, there is only a statutory right to information and consultation in certain areas and the indication that employees must take action themselves. It is recognised, and not only in specialist circles, that it is precisely this voluntary nature that leads to the very good working conditions and stable industrial peace in Switzerland.

Roland Müller mentions that our Swiss system of social partnership was created bottom up, i.e. in the interest of the people involved. The companies themselves take care of the welfare of the employees. There was initially a peace agreement in the metal industry, which still exists. From this was derived the Swiss law with minimum requirements and additions to the EU directives concerning health protection, mass redundancies and company takeovers. Those who profile themselves as good employers out of their own interests and include dialogue with social partners have many advantages. The search for qualified employees is much easier and the salary is less of a focus because it is a distinction to be allowed to work there. Of course, many companies could do much more to become more attractive.

Social partnerships also benefit employers

In recent decades, the roles of trade unions and employers' associations have changed considerably. If there is an untimely personnel policy in individual companies, such structures have little chance of success in free competition because the shortage of skilled workers is increasing and quality labels such as EFQM or ISO do not allow this. Trade unions are fighting for a GAV (collective labour agreement). This gives employees guarantees that, for example, a minimum wage is guaranteed and that certain rules on employee and health protection are observed. This not only strengthens the employer brand, but also leads to comparable offers in tenders.

Old recipes for new solutions? However, the pressure from the unions sometimes has the opposite effect, in that a CLA is not concluded at all. "We sometimes feel sorry for the employees when we see a hardening of the fronts. Class warfare is more of a political doctrine and no longer corresponds to the way problems are solved today. Not everyone is equally ready for dialogue", confirms Roland Müller. For SYNA, strike action is the very last resort, and on the employers' side Roland Müller stresses: "We owe a lot of what we have achieved to the social partners. They sit and talk until solutions are found. These are strenuous negotiations, but they lead to stable results that are actually adhered to. You have to distinguish between the company level and the political level. On the company level, negotiations are still positive and agreements are possible. Politically, on the UNIA side, for example, a confrontational approach to conflict is adopted, which could give the impression that the social partnerships are at an end, which is not the case." Whether the decline in trade union membership can be stopped with media attention may be doubted.

"We are committed to representing the concerns of employees, but we also recognise the needs of employers," confirms Arno Kerst on behalf of Syna: "With this attitude, we enable win-win situations, whereby working conditions are improved, but social peace and jobs are also preserved."

Dialogue is now also the EFQM requirement that runs through almost all assessment points. It is about companies looking for the best solutions - not just any solution that later proves to be a pipe burst. Sustainability is required, even if it is difficult for shareholders to forego short-term profits. That is precisely the strength of forward-looking models, that innovation should not produce losers and that the environment must increasingly be included.

Which topics are suitable for social partnership dialogue?

"Our union members come to us with questions about wages, working hours, but also social security," says Arno Kerst. A lot of work goes into providing individual advice to members, who at SYNA on 40% consist of foreigners. They are less able to defend themselves verbally and often know too little about the legal situation. Sometimes legal requirements are not followed or workers fear for their jobs. Others are stuck in long-term temporary contracts and for others the work-life-balance gets out of joint - especially because of the new means of communication. Arno Kerst: "We have agreed with one company that work schedules will be drawn up earlier. Those who have to report for work within 24 hours are given extra time. "Roland Müller adds: "In general, companies have become less able to plan ahead. They have to deliver at ever shorter notice and hardly have any long-term order volumes. It is important how this is communicated to the employees and how they are included in the planning. It's amazing how much extra work - even unpaid - is currently being done voluntarily by employees because of the strength of the franc. This is precisely where the dialogue with the unions begins. Joint solutions are much more sustainable.

Employability

Employers and employees are also jointly concerned about employability. Arno Kerst: "We notice that the potential of many people is not being used. In general, people over 40 need time for reorientation or additional training. Employers tend to invest in younger people." However, Roland Müller also appeals to the willingness of older employees to change: "It is also up to them to further develop their professional and personal qualifications and thus maintain their employability. " Thus, the Swiss Employers' Association and Economiesuisse have jointly launched the

The ability of companies to plan has generally decreased.

Future of the Swiss Labour Market" programme. In this way, the two leading associations want to make a contribution to better integration of the domestic workforce. In particular, the initiative aims to integrate older people, women, young people and people with health impairments more strongly into the primary labour market.

The commitment of the individual employee

It seems difficult to come out as a trade union member in a company. Older employees who fear for their jobs often make a fist in the bag instead of getting collectively involved, confirms Arno Kerst. Younger people, on the other hand, would change jobs more quickly anyway and also enter working life with higher demands on the soft factors. Moreover, critical employees are not necessarily bad employees. From a group dynamic point of view, they are the salt in the soup and valuable for risk prevention, as they expose sore spots. A collective is more likely to protect them.

The collective as a partner

A collective seeks common, overarching solutions. Certainly, insight and voluntariness have the effect that participation is more likely to be lived. However, Arno Kerst notes that social partnerships without external trade unions create a dependence on the goodwill of a powerful boss. If the boss steps down, everything can change with the successor. If, however, a set of rules such as a CLA is drawn up, it outlasts a voluntary action and gives all parties more legal security. A set of rules can be controlled and, if necessary, be part of an audit. Evidence of an ombudsman service alone is not enough if criticism is sanctioned. Involving employees is ultimately a sensitive cultural issue and the collective behind the CLA increases implementation. Thus, the trade unions and employers jointly monitor and ensure compliance with the collective labour agreement through a so-called parity commission.

Switzerland as a model for the future

EFQM has anchored in the eight basic principles that the orientation towards excellence means shaping the future sustainably and being successful through employees. This literally means: "Excellent organizations respect their employees and create a culture of active participation in order to achieve an appropriate balance of organizational and personal goals. " ISO 9001-2015 requires under 4.2 to know and update the requirements of interested parties. Under 7.1.6, knowledge must be identified and maintained and customer needs must be researched intensively. If the ISO standards are seen as a whole set of rules that give companies guidelines for good management, then ISO standard 26 000 (social responsibility guidelines) must be consulted, as well as ISO 9004 (management approach).

It is therefore not due to the quality standards if these are only met by individual companies. Additional standards are rather guidelines for the time being. However, if legal rules or a CLA are not complied with, this is a reason for withdrawing an ISO 9001 certificate. So there is definitely a meaningful cooperation between auditors and social partners, because the compliance with rules and the ability to criticize the management can be inquired.

Working out rules of the game with the stakeholders involved takes time, money and energy. Moreover, such a round of talks must not take place at too long intervals, lest other underlying problems torpedo the conversation. A culture of discussion must be developed, as is an old Swiss way of solving problems. Those who are left out will go into opposition according to group dynamics and will try to prevent a common solution. That is why all stakeholders should be included. In addition, an old group truth states that clearly negotiated rules at the beginning make further cooperation much easier.

If trade unions do not operate with old enemy images, but engage in solution-oriented joint processes, and if companies manage to really assume their social responsibility, this could ensure high prosperity for our country and give it an international leadership role through exemplary processes of social partnership.