Clear commitment to social partnership

Some 100 delegates and guests from all over Switzerland met at today’s Assembly of Delegates of the Swiss Bank Employees Association (SBEA) in Zurich. In the annual report, Managing Director Natalia Ferrara and President Michael von Felten showed the great commitment that the SBEA has demonstrated over the past year. The Federal Council voiced its clear support for the importance of social partnership in the public portion of the afternoon session. In his video message, federal councillor Guy Parmelin expressed his concern with the employees of the banking sector in light of the events of recent months and made it clear that a successful integration of Credit Suisse into UBS will only be successful if a strong social partnership is embraced by both sides. In the panel discussion between Boris Zürcher Dr. rer. Pol, Head of the SECO Labour Directorate, Balz Stückelberger, Managing Director of Employers in Banking, and Natalia Ferrara, Managing Director of the SBEA, it was once again emphasised that the preservation of as many jobs as possible must be the common goal and that employees are expecting binding communication. A project of this size can only succeed with committed and motivated employees.

After the regular agenda items in the morning, the members and guests present listened to the keynote speech entitled “Effects of the UBS and Credit Suisse Merger on the Swiss Labour Market” by Boris Zürcher, Head of the SECO Labour Directorate. He underscored the importance of this integration for Switzerland as a business location. In the panel discussion, Stückelberger, Zürcher and Ferrara all agreed that qualified and motivated employees are required for successful integration. Only in this way can client needs be optimally met and a robust and trustworthy financial centre be created.

The SBEA once again underlines its demands:

• Preservation of as many jobs as possible in Switzerland
• Implement pledges for a fair and transparent integration process and equal treatment
• Joint social plan and expansion of benefits
• Committed and strengthened social partnership