Wage hikes: Swiss unions and employers have radically different expectations 

Swiss trade unions are calling for pay rises of up to 5% to compensate workers for years of rising consumer, energy and healthcare prices. Are these demands justified in high-price Switzerland, where worker salaries are already the envy of the world? Employers are already objecting to the wage increase demands, which signals potential friction during wage negotiations with unions. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox SWI swissinfo.ch takes a look at the opposing arguments and the possible outcome for workers and companies. The demands The trade union Travail Suisse is calling for wages to rise by between 2.5% and 4% next year to make up for the fact that inflation has eaten away the entire value of salary hikes since 2021. Swiss wages increased an average 1.7% in 2023, but a 2.1% rise in the cost of living resulted in a -0.4% loss in real annual income. The Swiss Commercial Association (Kaufmännische Verband) uses the same argument to justify pay rises of up ...