First CLA for convenience facilities in Switzerland
27.05.2020, Ad hoc release pursuant to Art. 53 LR, Switzerland
The companies of the Bell Food Group in Switzerland have greatly expanded their cooperation with the Butchery Staff Association Switzerland (MPV), their current social partner. While the meat enterprises of the Bell Food Group in Switzerland have had a collective labour agreement (CLA) with the MPV for many years, the production facilities of the Convenience business area have now concluded a CLA for the first time. The signing of the new CLA has established the first social partnership in the convenience sector in Switzerland.
All companies of the Bell Food Group in Switzerland have concluded a new collective labour agreement (CLA) with the Butchery Staff Association Switzerland (MPV). The agreement applies to the Swiss locations of the companies Bell, Eisberg, Hilcona and Hügli, comprising a total of 21 production plants and some 5,200 employees. The CLA will enter into force for all companies by 4 June 2020. This qualifies as a renewal of the current CLA for the meat companies, while the convenience facilities now have a CLA for the first time. With the expansion of the social partnership to include the convenience segment, a CLA has been signed for the first time for this growing food manufacturing segment. This has laid the foundation for the further development of employment conditions in this dynamic work environment, on the basis of a solid social partnership.
It also further expands the long-standing social partnership between the Bell Food Group and the MPV in Switzerland. The MPV has broad-based experience in the field of meat processing and has now also developed a high affinity for the convenience sector. According to Giusy Meschi, managing director of the MPV, the new CLA offers the ideal conditions for constructive cooperation: «A social partnership functions and thrives when both partners are equitably represented and engage in a dialogue between equals.»
About the Bell Food Group
The Bell Food Group is one of the leading meat processors and convenience specialists in Europe. Its range of products includes meat, poultry, charcuterie, seafood and convenience products. With the brands Bell, Eisberg, Hilcona and Hügli, the Group meets a diversity of customer needs. Its customers include the retail trade as well as the food service sector and the food processing industry. Around 12,500 employees generate annual revenues of around CHF 4 billion. The Bell Food Group is listed on the Swiss stock exchange.
