Switzerland - Union members approve agreement for construction sector - January 31, 2026

The new national collective agreement for the construction industry can come into effect retroactively to 1 January. Following the approval of the master builders, the unionized construction workers have also agreed to the collective agreement. The construction workers organized in the Unia and Syna unions approved the agreement at their professional conference. The employers, specifically the Swiss Builders Association, had already approved the new agreement on 17 December. The new agreement will be valid until the end of 2031. It replaces the agreement that expired at the end of 2025 and regulates the working conditions of approximately 80,000 construction workers. Among other things, the introduction of a new working time planning system was agreed upon.

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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.