In these negotiations, he works alongside Roman Schweighauser, President of the Basel Employees’ Association (AVL), to negotiate on behalf of staff on individual employment contracts (EAV). These cover almost 5,600 employees at the Visp and Basel sites. In an interview, he tells us how he steers the negotiations towards the best possible outcome.
Martin, every year from 1 April, Lonza’s workforce hopes for a pay rise. How do you go about this as a representative of the Employees’ Association?
Wage negotiations for general pay rises from April onwards are a challenging issue, as they affect all employees on individual employment contracts (EAV) and we are committed to achieving a solid outcome. To this end, we have established a process over the last few years in collaboration with Lonza’s HR department, and it has proven its worth.
Let’s take a closer look at this. How do you prepare?
As early as September and October, I work with Roman Schweighauser to draw up a list of our demands. In doing so, we consult various sources.
Firstly, we examine the wage trends published annually by UBS, as these cover the entire economic landscape.
Secondly, we examine the wage argumentation guide from Angestellte Schweiz. This guide is an annual publication that prepares employee representatives for the wage negotiations by providing negotiation tactics, sector-specific economic data and wage recommendations.
And thirdly, we look at what our competitors have negotiated.
What do you do with this information?
We summarise our pay demands, along with our arguments and considerations, in a letter addressed to the HR managers at LONZA AG.
Do you make specific demands?
Our letter to HR naturally also includes a specific percentage figure for pay rises, along with a justification and our reasoning behind our proposal.
However, it is important to us that the pay demands are realistic, which does not rule out the possibility that – as is customary in negotiations – we enter the discussion with higher demands. But as far as I’m concerned, if you consistently make unrealistic demands, at some point you will no longer be perceived as an equal partner. Compared with other pharmaceutical companies, we have achieved good results in recent years.
Your demands have now been submitted to HR. What happens next?
Phase two is now beginning: a meeting organised by HR will take place in early December, involving all parties concerned. The relevant HR managers from LONZA AG and the two staff associations are invited to attend.
The HR delegation will provide an update on the current business situation and planned investments, and will present an industry comparison; there will be a discussion on inflation and the gender breakdown within the respective pay bands. Once the company has outlined the current situation, we will receive the proposed percentage increase for wages.
On a positive note: these negotiations are genuinely conducted on an equal footing.
We benefit from the constructive dialogue and the relationship of trust we have at the sites. In Visp, I regularly exchange views with HR and site management, so that we are aware of each other’s challenges.
Will you reach an agreement at this meeting?
No, we take note of management’s proposed pay rise and discuss it within the executive committees of the staff associations. We then carry out a thorough assessment of the situation.
The process now moves into its third phase: after reviewing the offer within the staff associations, we set out our views on the pay rise in a statement. In recent years, this has always led to an agreement with management.
Do you accept management’s proposal?
Yes, as in recent years it has always fallen within the range of our demands. However, the tone of our response makes it clear whether we consider the offer to be very good or whether it is more or less acceptable.
To conclude the process, the workforce is informed of the outcome of the pay rises via an internal communication. Last year, this was communicated as early as December. This allowed sufficient time to adapt all further steps and the payroll systems in time for April.
How do you assess the negotiations for 2027?
Geopolitical changes were already a concern for us last year and will be again in 2027: tariffs, wars and rising commodity prices only have an impact after a delay. That is precisely why we must prepare thoroughly; these will be crucial negotiations.
Thank you very much for the interview!
