Employees at the Flying Tiger store demanded more wages and organized themselves into a union. That led to layoffs, they say.
One of the two Flying Tiger branches in Bern is located directly at the train station. – SBB
the essentials in brief
- Trouble in the decoration shop: Flying Tiger employees were dissatisfied with their wages.
- That’s why they organized together with the Unia union and demanded more money.
- The union members were then harassed and fired, they say.
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The desire for fair pay turned into a nightmare for the employees of the Flying Tiger branch at Bern train station. Because harassment and bullying are said to have followed from the branch management.
But let’s start from the beginning: The majority of the employees in the decoration shop are students who receive a modest gross hourly wage of 22 francs. Julian R., a long-time employee of the Danish company, finally took the reins. “Due to inflation, I had difficulty making ends meet with the low hourly wage,” he tells the union newspaper “Work”.
Together with his colleagues, the 22-year-old called for a wage increase to 26 francs per hour. Despite their modest demands, they fell on deaf ears from the management of Flying Tiger Switzerland. Her letter was ignored for two months – later a reply with a half-hearted consolation followed.
“No more cents”
Céline Z., also an employee at the Bern train station, says: “That was very sobering. We have regularly relabeled and increased prices in the store. But there was no more black horses for us.”
Employees at the Flying Tiger decoration shop at Bern train station demanded more wages and organized themselves into a union. (Symbolic image) Headquarters of the Danish company in Copenhagen: The demands are rejected. The Unia union stands up for the Flying Tiger employees.
The employees had enough. With the support of the Unia union, they organized themselves and wrote another letter to management. But instead of responding to their demands, the branch manager began targeted harassment of employees, according to the allegations.
Individual meetings were called – an unusual practice in this branch. Vague and unclear accusations against the employees followed. Only in the minutes of the interview did unfounded accusations such as declining work performance and demotivation become apparent.
Union members “targeted”
Céline Z. reports: “The boss specifically targeted employees who were known to be union members.”
In the months November to January, unionized employees are said to have received significantly fewer working hours than before. At the same time, new positions were advertised and filled.
Do you know the decoration shop Flying Tiger?
12%
Yes, I go by often.
1
Yes, I go by often.
30%
Yes, but I rarely if ever go there.
2
Yes, but I rarely if ever go there.
59%
No, never heard of it.
3
No, never heard of it.
When seven employees finally sought a personal conversation with the branch manager, they were all fired just a few days later. Julian R. says: “It was clear to us: we would defend ourselves against these dismissals and the baseless allegations!”
The company rejects the employees’ allegations: “Flying Tiger Copenhagen absolutely stands for tolerance, respect and anti-discrimination,” the company said in a statement.
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More on the subject:
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