The December issue of EFTA Pulletin carried an article on the problems caused by the large numbers of foreign workers in Switzerland. The following is a summary of the most important aspects of the articles In August 1963 there were some 800,000 foreign workers in Switzerland, all of them, with the exception of some 100,000 testablished workers, come under severe legal restrictions, This represents 284 of the total active population of the country, The number is rising rapidly; in the last’ 3‘ years there has” been an increase of 58% despite attempts by the Government to keep the numbers downs.
According to Swiss law, there are 4 categories of foreign workerss (1) established foreign workers, who, after ten years rosidence, are -on the same footing as Swiss nationals; (2) non-seasonal workers subject to controls; (3) seasonal workers, who, because they are compelled to return home for part of each year, cannot achieve ten years residences; and (4) frontier workers, whose work permits are withdraw if there is unemployment in Switzerland.
The last 3 categories hold work permits subject to many restrict ions, including: (1) Change of employment is prohibited, even if two employers agree to a transfers; (2) Change of employment is prohibited, even within the same firm; (3) A foreign worker may not bring his wife and family into Switzerland. The reasons behind these restriction are largely that both politicians and trade union leaders wanted to be able to pack off the foroign workers, without complications, in the event of a crisis,
An attempt to restrict the entry of foreign worBeis™B$°a Federal Declaration of March lst, 1963. This seems to have been a failure. In the Canton of Geneva, for instance, the number of foreign workers. rose by 15,659 between August, 1962, and August, 1963. In the Geneva motal working industry, 52% of the labour force is foreign, and in som: cases the figure is over 80%,
The foreign workers are largely non~union. In the last ten years, membership of the two main Swiss 7,U, organisations has increased by 88,000. In this period the number of foreign workers subject to control has inervéased by 558,000.: This has weakenad the position of the T.U.s as all relations between management and labour are based on collective conventions, The unions have undertaken not to strike, and the manage~ ments have renounced the use of lock-outs, Such undertakings are only concsivable if the power of the employers! associations is matched by that of union organisatione ve
Italian workers,who comprise 68,4% of all ‘controlled! workers, are now making demands, includings (1) Admissions of representatives of the Italian workers to the workers! committees; (2) Admittance to Switzerland of foreign workers! families; and (3) Free movement of Italian workers from Canton to Canton. A struggle would seem to be looming, especially as the Italian workers are aware of their stronger bargaining position because of the improved employment position in Italy.