Swisscom is engaged in an environment characterised by major upheavals: its core business is under pressure and the market is saturated. At the same time digitisation is increasingly changing politics, society and the economy as well as new technologies. We cannot say with any certainty what the workplace will look like in a few years’ time. However, the first changes are already impacting the job market: life-long learning is becoming increasingly important, flexible forms of work are on the rise, and organisational models are changing.
An important objective of the CEA negotiations was therefore aimed at adjusting the collective employment agreement (CEA) to the demands of tomorrow’s workplace and market circumstances.
The most important changes can be split under the following headings:
Further education and training is a focal point for the social partners and for Swisscom in view of digitisation and the related workplace changes. Swisscom wants to take its social responsibility as an employer seriously and maintain and increase the employability of its staff. It will therefore invest more in their training.
All employees are now entitled to 5 training and development days per year.
- Maternity leave is increased from 17 to 18 weeks.
- Paternity leave is increased from 2 to 3 weeks.
- In addition, fathers will now be entitled to 1 month’s unpaid leave during the first year of their child’s life.
Holiday entitlement is progressively increased from the age of 35, with overall leave entitlement remaining at up to 30 days. Swisscom is aligning the 50+ age group in particular with the market in this area.
Swisscom and its social partners have revised the existing “Mobile Working” guidelines to create a joint set of rules which includes a right of participation for the social partners. These guidelines regulate mobile forms of work including working from home or working on the move, such as in the train, as well as expectations of employees related to availability outside working hours.
The right of employees not to be available outside working hours has also been enshrined in the CEA for the first time.
The negotiation partners agreed on basic smart data principles to regulate the privacy of employees at work and the handling of their data.
The CEA enters into force on 1 July 2018. It will be valid for three years, with the option to extend it for a further year. Swisscom’s extensive social plan will remain in place unchanged for the duration of the CEA.
Hans Werner, Group Head Human Resources, Swisscom: “Our environment is exceptionally dynamic and our employees achieve an incredible amount every day. The job market demands a high level of flexibility and continuous development from us. We need to redefine ‘life-long learning’. This no longer consists of courses every 10 years, but regular, flexible, short or longer, web-based and traditional training courses. With the conclusion of this CEA, we have created the basis for this approach to life-long learning. We have also established a work-life balance that leaves space for relaxation alongside committed performance."
Giorgio Pardini, Head of ICT, syndicom: "Digitisation offers opportunities for us all, provided the social partners shape digital transformation together. The CEA we concluded today is proof of this. Employees will now benefit from an entitlement to training and development, greater data privacy and enhanced time off work provisions."
Robert Métrailler, Head of Communication, transfair: “Swisscom employees are faced with major challenges posed by digitisation and economising projects. In transfair’s view, the best approach to dealing with this issue was to focus on employability. The entitlement to five days for training and development for all employees addresses this. In return, Swisscom can count on employees who are increasingly better qualified. transfair is happy with this success and other improvements that will benefit employees."
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