Social dialogue and relations in Switzerland

This article provides information about union organizations, the collective bargaining structure, sectoral negotiations, company negotiations and employee representation structures in Switzerland.

Union landscape

The organization of trade unions in Switzerland was influenced, among other things, by historical divisions that structure society: the difference between towns and the countryside, Protestants and Catholics… The denominational divide led to the creation of catholic and evangelical unions; the blue-collar/white-collar divide led to the creation of blue-collar or white-collar unions. …