
Andriy Chubatyuk
This applies to any Swiss or foreign company employing staff in the Cantons with a legal minimum wage or where the minimum wage is provided for in a collective labour contract (CCT) or standard labour contract (CTT) for certain types of employee and economic sectors.
Any Swiss or foreign company employing staff in these cantons is therefore obliged to respect the legal minimum wage. What’s more, even if the employment contract makes no mention of it, employees have the right to claim what they are owed, and the authorities can impose fines on companies that fail to meet this obligation. It is therefore essential to comply with the regulations in force to avoid damaging financial and reputational consequences.
Minimum wage legislation in Switzerland is a matter for the cantons, and there is currently no minimum wage set by federal law. However, five cantons have introduced a statutory minimum wage for all types of employees working on their territory: Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, Ticino and Basel-Stadt.
Human resources, both internal and external to the company, play a crucial role in drawing up employment contracts and handling employee complaints. Private individuals who employ household staff are also concerned, provided that these employees can be classified as employees rather than self-employed.
The minimum wage applicable in Switzerland is governed by the following rules:
Bonus point: What constitutes a decisive salary?
In addition to the normal salary, the following elements must be taken into account:
However, amounts paid as salary supplements, such as compensation for night work, Sunday work, overtime or extra pay for overtime, are not taken into account.
If you hire low-paid staff
If you are starting a new business, working in another canton or hiring staff for new tasks and responsibilities
In this case, you should check whether a minimum wage applies.
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