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Swiss Ground Staff

Press Release: SEV-GATA Members Approve the New CLA

In an electronic ballot, members of the ground staff union SEV-GATA at Swiss have given their clear approval to the 2027 CLA (Collective Labour Agreement). The new CLA intro-duces a number of significant improvements, including a Saturday allowance, a re-duction in weekly working hours by two hours to 40 hours per week, the abolition of the tiring compensation days in Engineering, and an increase of CHF 200 to the salary bands.

21. July 2026 2 min read
The SEV-GATA delegation at Swiss’s headquarters in Kloten on 9 June, prior to handing over the petition calling for greater recognition of staff contributions under the collective agreement to Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger.
The SEV-GATA delegation at Swiss’s headquarters in Kloten on 9 June, prior to handing over the petition calling for greater recognition of staff contributions under the collective agreement to Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger.

The ballot resulted in 62,1% voting in favour and 37,9% against, with a voter turnout of 78,1%%. Philipp Hadorn, President of SEV-GATA and SEV Union Secretary, commented: “I am pleased that such a clear majority of our members approved the negotiated outcome, even though not all staff groups benefit equally from the numerous improvements and expectations were very high. However, there are only winners and no losers among the workforce. The 2027 CLA is not heaven on earth, but it represents a remarkable milestone in the development of the CLA.”

Hadorn added that, throughout the duration of the new agreement, which comes into force on 1 January 2027 and can first be terminated as of 31 December 2031, it will remain important to pursue targeted improvements, “particularly regarding individual job evaluations and, of course, the annual salary negotiations. We will also ensure the correct recognition of years of experience.”

The CLA negotiations began in January and were accompanied at SEV-GATA by a “Sounding Board” consisting of around 20 delegates. By a clear majority, they recommended that members approve the negotiated agreement, as did the four-member SEV-GATA negotiating delegation.

The negotiations were made more challenging by the fact that they took place while Lufthansa, Swiss’s parent company, had imposed far-reaching cost-saving targets. The successful conclusion reached in June was also supported by the collection of 600 signatures for the petition “Enough is Enough – It’s Our Turn Now!”, which SEV-GATA presented to Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger on 9 June.

For further information, please contact:

Philipp Hadorn, President of SEV-GATA and Union Secretary,

Who Are We?

SEV-GATA (Groundstaff Aviation Technics and Administration) is the trade union representing aviation ground staff. It supports members working for a wide range of companies, including Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., Swissport, Equans and others. SEV-GATA is the aviation division of SEV, the Swiss Transport Workers’ Union. With around 37,000 members, SEV is the largest trade union in the Swiss public transport sector.
sev-gata.ch / sev-online.ch

Improvements in the 2027 CLA for Swiss Ground Staff Compared with the Current CLA:

Working Time:

  • Reduction of weekly working hours from 42 to 40 hours with effect from 1 January 2027. To implement this, Swiss has agreed that, within the TMB Engineering department, the reduction in weekly working hours will be taken as full days off. In all other departments, suitable implementation arrangements will be agreed with the employees concerned on a departmental basis, with the aim of generating additional days off.
  • Abolition of compensation days in Technics with effect from 1 January 2027.

Salary & Allowances:

  • Increase in night work allowances by 20%, with effect from 1 January 2028* (* = these measures will be brought forward to 1 January 2027 if Swiss achieves the LX performance targets under LH Success for 2026, i.e. if they are fulfilled at 100% or more).
  • Increase in licence allowances by 20%, with effect from 1 January 2028*.
  • Increase in standby (on-call) allowances by 30%, with effect from 1 January 2028*.
  • Introduction of a Saturday allowance of CHF 7.50 per hour, with effect from 1 January 2028*.
  • Increase of CHF 200.00 to all salary bands (excluding salary curves), with effect from 1 January 2027.
  • Increase in Sunday and public holiday allowances by 20%, with effect from 1 January 2027.
  • Salary negotiations for 2027 will take place as usual during 2026. Regardless of the economic situation, the general salary increase may not fall below 0.5% (minimum CHF 35.00 per month for a full-time position).

Occupational Pension Scheme:

  • Increase in the pensionable salary by reducing the coordination deduction to CHF 23,000 from 2028.
  • Further increase in the pensionable salary by reducing the coordination deduction to CHF 20,000 from 2029.

Social Issues:

  • Increase in compassionate leave following the death of a spouse, life partner or child to five days.
  • Maternity: 18 weeks at 100% salary from the first year of service, no reduction in annual leave entitlement, with transfer of the entitlement to the partner in the event of the mother’s death.
  • Paternity: Transfer of the entitlement to the partner in the event of the father’s death, and extension of the entitlement if the child is ill.