Communication union, VPOD and Comedia want to merge
A possible merger has been rumored for some time, but now the topic appears to be becoming more concrete: The Communications Union (GeKo), the Association of Public Service Employees (VPOD) and the media union Comedia are launching a debate on a merger in their committees. According to a project outline, the merger should take place by 2011.
A possible merger has been rumored for some time, but now the topic appears to be becoming more concrete: The Communication Union (GeKo), the Association of Public Service Employees (VPOD) and the media union Comedia are launching a debate on a merger in their committees. An initial project outline was approved by the heads of the three organizations on 25 February. According to this, an inter-professional trade union with currently around 84,000 members is to be formed in the public and private service sector and in communications by 2011, as the three organizations announced on Friday. The responsible bodies of the three trade unions will now have until next June to decide whether they wish to pursue the merger on the basis of the project outline. The merger of GeKo, VPOD and Comedia is intended to "utilize the existing synergies" and combine forces within and outside of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), as the press release explains further. The new trade union is "open to other interested organizations".
The declared aim of the project is to strengthen the position in the traditional sectors, organize new sectors and further improve the ability to mobilize. By joining forces, the aim is to build an innovative trade union that represents the interests of employees with strong negotiating power and close ties to its members. The new union will focus in particular on the living conditions of its members and take their professional and social situation into account in its collective representation of interests and individual service offerings.
If the three associations approve the outlined project and give the green light by June, the merger will be worked out in detail as part of a basic paper. The timetable envisages that the congresses of the three unions will decide on the implementation of the project in November 2009. The joint merger congress is planned for June 2010, with operations commencing on January 1, 2011.
The declared aim of the project is to strengthen the position in the traditional sectors, organize new sectors and further improve the ability to mobilize. By joining forces, the aim is to build an innovative trade union that represents the interests of employees with strong negotiating power and close ties to its members. The new union will focus in particular on the living conditions of its members and take their professional and social situation into account in its collective representation of interests and individual service offerings.
If the three associations approve the outlined project and give the green light by June, the merger will be worked out in detail as part of a basic paper. The timetable envisages that the congresses of the three unions will decide on the implementation of the project in November 2009. The joint merger congress is planned for June 2010, with operations commencing on January 1, 2011.
