The Bellinzona railway workers strike of 2008 was a

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

by railway workers against FFS Cargo (by its Italian acronym), a division of Swiss Railways. The dispute concerned a proposed company restructure that would include the loss of workers' jobs. The strike took place in the Swiss town of

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...

. It began on 7 March 2008 and concluded on 5 April 2008 when the restructure plans were withdrawn.

Background

The Bellinzona plant of FFS Cargo, a state-owned company, was established in 1884 near the

Bellinzona railway station Bellinzona railway station ( it, Stazione di Bellinzona) serves the town of Bellinzona, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is on the Swiss Federal Railways' Gotthard line. The station is nicknamed ''Porta del Ticino'' ("Gate of Ticino") sin ...

and soon became an important repair facility for the Swiss rail network. At the time of the strike, approximately 430 people worked at the Bellinzona plant. Today (2012) it employs more than 500 workers. The workers at Bellinzona are represented by three labour unions: the

Union of Transport Workers The Union of Transport Workers (german: Gewerkschaft des Verkehrspersonals, SEV) is a trade union in Switzerland. History Many transport workers were involved in the 1918 Swiss general strike, and this inspired members of various small unions to ...

(SEV),

Unia ''Unia'' ( en, Dreams), released on 25 May 2007, is the fifth full-length studio album by the power metal band Sonata Arctica, following the album ''Reckoning Night''. The first single from the album was " Paid in Full", released on 27 April 2007 ...

(a service sector union), and

Transfair Transfair is a trade union representing public sector workers in Switzerland. The union was founded on 1 January 2000, when the Swiss Union of Christian Postal, Telephone and Telegraph Personnel merged with the Christian Union of Transport, Milita ...

(a Christian trade union). On 6 March 2008, FFS Cargo proposed a company restructuring program which was intended to improve efficiency and profitability. More than 400 jobs were to be eliminated by the restructure, including 126 in Bellinzona.Swissinfo 2008
'Protests greet rail cargo job cuts announcement'
''swissinfo.ch'', 7 March 2008. Retrieved on 12 January 2009. Sarti, R. & Der Funke Switzerland 2008

''In Defence of Marxism'', 18 April 2008. Retrieved on 12 January 2009.

Strike

When the restructuring plan was announced, workers at the Bellinzona downed tools and held an informal protest. A formal strike commenced on 7 March 2008. The workers demanded that all plans for job cuts be withdrawn. Workers' assemblies proposed alternative plans for the future management of those workshops which FFS Cargo intended to close. FFS Cargo entered into negotiations with the workers during the strike. The company offered to suspend job cuts for two months if the strike was ended. This offer was rejected by the workers who instead insisted that no further negotiation was possible until the company provided full details of its future restructuring plans. The strike comprised a range of tactics including pickets and

factory occupations Occupation of factories is a method of the workers' movement used to prevent lock outs. They may sometimes lead to "recovered factories", in which the workers self-manage the factories. They have been used in many strike actions, including: *t ...

. The Bellinzona plant was occupied for four weeks, during which the rail tracks were welded together to prevent use of the workshop. Throughout March, solidarity protests were organised in other towns and cities including Bern, the Swiss capital, on 19 March 2008. The strike was widely supported. A group of politicians in

Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

, the canton in which Bellinzona is located, launched a solidarity fund to provide financial support for the strike.Wallace, E. 2008
'Bellinzona cargo workers settle in for long strike'
''GenevaLunch'', 10 March 2008. Retrieved on 12 January 2009. The strike received political support from the Ticino canton government and the bishop of Ticino, who also coordinated financial assistance. Solidarity committees across Ticino raised more than one million

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

(600,000 euros) in support of the strike.

Aftermath

The proposed plan for job cuts was officially withdrawn on 5 April 2008 by the head of the Federal Department of Transport. The future of several FFS Cargo workshops remained undecided.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Swissinfo gallery of images from worker protests.
Labor disputes in Switzerland 2008 labor disputes and strikes Rail transport strikes Bellinzona 2008 in Switzerland

Background

Strike

Aftermath

See also

References

External links