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The Swiss trade association should work better again with the economic umbrella organization Economiesuisse. The newly elected director, Urs Furrer, said this in the “Tagestalk”.
Urs Furrer from Aargau was elected director of the Swiss trade association SGV last week. However, he will not take office until next May. The largest umbrella organization in the Swiss economy supports over 500,000 Swiss SMEs.
Economy should pull together
He spoke publicly for the first time since his election in Radio SRF’s “Tagestalk”. After the SGV had distanced itself from Economiesuisse in recent years, the associations should now move closer together again.
“If you see that you have common interests and that it makes sense to work together, then you absolutely have to do that in order to achieve common goals,” says Furrer.
If we don’t find a solution to occupational pension provision in the next few years, then we will run into a big problem.
This applies to cooperation with all business associations, says Furrer. He cites occupational pension provision with pension funds as an example: “This is an issue on which the three business associations have to work together: Economiesuisse, the trade association and the employers’ association. If we don’t find solutions here in the next few years, then we will run into a big problem.”
Furrer: new way of collaboration
Furrer is a lawyer and previously worked as managing director of Chocosuisse and Biscosuisse, the associations of chocolate and confectionery manufacturers. He is a member of the FDP.
I stand for a new generation and a new type of collaboration.
His predecessor, long-time SGV director Hans-Ulrich Bigler, resigned at the end of June due to his age. His originally designated successor, Henrique Schneider, stumbled upon a plagiarism affair. The board therefore revoked Schneider’s election and paved the way for Urs Furrer to head the trade association.
Furrer doesn’t want to compare himself with his predecessor. «I stand for a new generation and for a new type of collaboration that I have in mind. I want to work constructively with the other associations to put together a good economic policy.”