Switzerland talks about digitization, but forgets about employees
People are at the heart of digitalization. The Syndicom trade union believes that this does not seem to mean employees.
The national "Digital Switzerland" conference, organized by Bakom, took place on 20 November. On November 21, "Digitalswitzerland" followed up with the nationwide Digital Day. Both events aim to take a comprehensive look at the digitalization of Switzerland and find answers for the future.
It was striking that both events mentioned people and work, but did not refer to employees, criticized Syndicom in a press release on Monday: "They are missing an opportunity."
With digitalization, society is facing extensive upheavals in the world of work and the labour market. It is clear that these changes cannot be stopped. It is equally clear that the upheavals can be shaped - we are not helplessly exposed to them, the union warns.
Syndicom is therefore calling for a fundamental and concrete discussion about the effects of the digitalization of the world of work that includes employees. This is the only way to ensure that digitalization in Switzerland takes place with social responsibility.
Specifically, Syndicom demands, among other things:
- A right to further training: "Ongoing training is becoming increasingly important. The half-life of knowledge is getting shorter and shorter. But further training costs time and money. To ensure that further training is open to all employees, the employer should contribute to the costs. Where a social partnership exists, this right can be written into collective employment contracts. Where there is no social partnership, it should be regulated at the statutory level."
- A right to switch off: "Digitalization is leading to the dissolution of work boundaries. Today, we can work from anywhere, whenever we want. Clear rules are needed to prevent wanting to turn into having to. Otherwise, we are increasingly putting the health of employees at risk. The corresponding statistics on the costs of stress due to work are harbingers of this development."
- Certification of platforms: "The growing importance of platform work is increasingly calling into question the social security of employees in Switzerland, as this is closely linked to gainful employment. In order for clients to be able to fulfill their social responsibility, platforms with compulsory social security are needed that adhere to minimum standards. Certification of platforms is one possible way forward."
