News

UNI Global Union presented Swiss trade union UNIA yesterday evening with their “Breaking Through Award” in recognition for an exceptional trade union win. The award was presented to a UNIA representative and a delegation of workers from Swiss insurance company Generali in Nyon. With the support of UNIA, the staff of Generali were able to save over 100 jobs thanks to the first ever strike in Switzerland in the insurance sector in Switzerland.

The Breaking Through Award recognized several trade unions from around the world who have recorded exceptional victories in union density and or mobilisations. This year, the strike committee of Generali workers, supported by UNIA, were honoured with the award.

Generali workers joined the trade union UNIA en-masse in order to fight against a punitive restructure that would have cost 108 jobs in Nyon. This exceptional mobilization of white collar workers allowed a never-before-seen strike in the Swiss insurance sector and saved over 100 posts thanks to the bravery of its union members. Since then, UNIA has become a recognized player in the insurance sector in Switzerland, and has recruited many new members by building on this success.