Swiss Bank Employees Win Co-Determination on AI as German Sparda Workers Secure 6% Pay Rise
Published on 07/01/2026 at 21:05 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A groundbreaking clause in Switzerland’s new collective labour agreement gives employee representatives a formal say in how banks deploy artificial intelligence. The provision forms part of a wider deal covering Swiss financial institutions, which also raises minimum pay for qualified staff and extends parental leave.
From January 2027, the minimum salary for employees with vocational training climbs from 58,000 to 60,000 Swiss francs. Maternity leave for staff with three years’ service increases to 18 weeks, up from 16, while adoption leave doubles to four weeks. Trainees under age 25 receive six weeks of annual holiday instead of five. The agreement also mandates binding surveys on workplace health protection and introduces stricter penalties for violations of working-time recording rules.
Parallel talks in Germany’s cooperative banking sector have yielded a similar pattern of wage growth and modernised conditions. The Verdi union and the Sparda-Banks employer association agreed on a two-step pay increase totalling six percent for roughly 5,300 employees across ten banks. Backdated to 1 April 2026, salaries rise by 3.3 percent, followed by a further 3.1 percent a year later. The contract runs until 31 March 2028.
Negotiators Stefan Wittmann (Verdi) and Martin Buch (employer side) confirmed the deal after warning strikes. The agreement also overhauls the framework collective agreement, introducing new social components. Workers can now take up to two extra paid days per year for health check-ups or voluntary work – these days are granted by the employer on top of regular leave.
Apprentices benefit particularly strongly: their monthly pay increases by €100, plus they receive a Deutschlandticket for public transport. A new pay grade was created for apprentices in their fourth year of training.
While banking negotiations concluded successfully, tensions are rising elsewhere in Germany’s industrial landscape. The IG Metall union has called for protests at Mercedes-Benz plants in Sindelfingen and Untertürkheim on 3 July. The carmaker’s cost-cutting drive comes after its profit slumped from €10.4 billion to €5.3 billion in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, earnings fell another 17.2 percent. Management postponed a contractual special payment worth 18.4 percent of a monthly salary – originally due in July – until next year.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, retail workers remain in deadlock. Verdi rejected an improved employer offer for approximately 700,000 employees in the sector.
At the European Central Bank, policymakers are debating whether to double the minimum reserve requirement for commercial banks. That would force financial institutions to hold more customer deposits at the ECB without earning interest. A final decision is pending.
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