Why Swiss discounters improve employment conditions
Trade union Syna criticises that the wages mentioned by Aldi are free of obligation and that at any time Aldi can decrease them. The difference with competitor, Lidl, is that there is no collective employment contract, in which wages have been recorded. But there is also criticism on Lidl. The new minimum wage of 4000 Swiss Francs is of course a positive sign, but also of a relative nature, the union Unia also criticises the discounter. "Those who works part time and which are the majority, do not earn 4000 Swiss Francs at Lidl" Natalie Imboden of Unia says. Imboden mentions 'lightened part time work'. The wage adjustment to the number of hours worked she calls logical, but in a situation in which Swiss employees would prefer to work more, the communication about a minimum wage of 4000 Swiss Francs does not take into account the problems of the low hours of work offered.
Syna-representative Carlo Mathieu, however, protects Lidl: at all other retailers there is namely the problem of few working hours, he says. On one point, however, the unions agree with each other: the conditions of employment have been improved at the discounters with German roots. This was really necessary, Unia says. "Who on the Swiss labour market wants to find good staff must offer decent conditions of employment." Wages are only one of the many factors. But nevertheless an important one. "Lidl is partly regarded as a company paying low wages" Matthias Oppitz of Lidl Switzerland says. This is an image they want to change.
In addition, part of the work at a discounter is physically heavy work. At Aldi and Lidl the staff moves whole boxes with products from pallets to the shelves. That takes a lot more effort than loose products as with traditional supermarkets. Therefore have the discounters, who are very interested in their image, taken this into account and increased the wages.