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Nearly 200 nursing care staff held a protest in the historic center of Winterthur in Switzerland last Saturday to call for better working conditions. Care workers from around the region joined together and alerted the public to the grievances, with demonstrators attending from Winterthur, Zurich and Schaffhausen.

This industry and its workforce have been suffering for a long time with low wages, long working shifts and staff shortages. At the rally, Neria Heil and Basil Bürgi, both members of the UNIA-action committee on nursing care, spoke about the need to stand together for better working conditions. Tthe crowd of workers backed them and called for an end to unpaid overtime, poor planning, staff shortages, long shifts and the lack of appreciation and respect for their work.

Elsewhere, where their employer has not been willing to change the situation for workers, strikes have occurred. In June, for example, the staff of the Küsnachter private home Primula AG stopped work - with success. These staff have now fair minimum wage, a 42-hour week and finally a 13th month pay - yet there is much more to be done as all other employees of private nursing and care are still not protected by such collective agreements.  The rally in Winterthur, which culminated in a loud march through the town's historic streets, has shown that many are willing   to work together to fight for improvements in their industry.