Swiss bicycle couriers have signed a 'Europe-first' collective bargaining agreement deal aimed at protecting them from cheaper rivals, such as the food delivery service Uber Eats.
The courier employer’s association Swissmessengerlogistics (SML) negotiated the contract with the trade union SyndicomExternal link on Tuesday. It guarantees a minimum hourly wage of CHF 20.35 ($20.40), regulated surcharges, on-call services, schedules within a 42.5-hour week and paternity leave.
The deal is being hailed as the first of its type among the urban courier industry in Europe. Around 600 couriers will benefit from the contract.
“Unhealthy competition from low-cost suppliers and so-called platform companies has intensified dramatically,” said Syndicom in a statement. “For example, UberEats recently became active on Swiss soil, disguising its workers as ‘bogus self-employed’.
Uber EatsExternal link is an online food ordering and delivery service that started in the United States. Just like the UberExternal link ridesharing platform, which allows people to offer taxi services, Uber Eats‘ employees can pick and choose when they work and get paid per delivery.
The trade union accused Uber Eats of enforcing “precarious working conditions to maximise profits that take advantage of couriers”.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
Ups and downs: Swiss drivers benefit from world’s only mobile bridge
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Swiss carry out record number of civilian service days
This content was published on
Members of the civilian service completed a record 1.9 million days of service in 2024, a 3.5% increase on the previous year.
Initiative aims to curb lobbying in Swiss parliament
This content was published on
A new popular initiative wants to put the brakes on lobbying in federal politics. Members of the Federal Assembly with vested interests are the target.
Soda lakes: Swiss researchers discover clues to origin of life
This content was published on
Life on Earth could have originated four billion years ago in large soda lakes, according to researchers at the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
This content was published on
Geneva Airport recorded a clear increase in both revenue and, in particular, profit in 2024. The airport has now almost fully recovered from the Covid slump.
This content was published on
At around 11:20am on Saturday the moon will begin to move in front of the sun in Switzerland. However, it will not completely cover it.
SlowUp cycle ride celebrates quarter-century in Switzerland
This content was published on
Twenty-five years ago slowUp was launched as a pilot project for Expo.02 on the shores of Lake Morat in western Switzerland.
This content was published on
A Swiss court has confirmed the acquittals of former FIFA president Joseph Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini at first instance.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss court finds in favour of Uber
This content was published on
Zurich’s Social Security Court has found that Uber drivers in Switzerland are not employed by a Swiss firm; they have a contract with a Dutch one.
This content was published on
Uber is present in Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Lausanne with 300,000 regular customers and some 2,600 drivers in Switzerland, Salom told SonntagsBlick. But it has also run into some difficulties with local authorities, trade unions and taxi drivers who complain of unfair competition. “Yes, we made mistakes. We wanted to grow too fast, we were…
This content was published on
According to the company, the decision was taken due to feedback from its partners, who wanted to earn more money through the more expensive UberX service. Economic success was not possible through its cheapest service UberPop, the company stated. UberPop drivers in Basel will have five months to obtain a special licence to transport passengers…
UberPop drivers in Zurich operating outside the law
This content was published on
UberPop drivers who do not hold an official professional taxi license are operating illegally, according to the government in Zurich.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.