Employment contract law

The Swiss Code of Obligations (tenth title) governs employment contracts. The provisions concern the individual employment contract, the apprenticeship contract, the contract of employment of sales representatives, the employment contract for people who work from home, the collective employment agreement (CEA) and the standard employment contract (SEC). All these contractual relationships are governed by private law but they contain numerous compulsory regulations due to the strong influence of contractual relationships on persons. The freedom to enter into contracts is also limited by mandatory public law provisions set forth in the Employment Act (EmpA, SR 822.11) and in the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act (VPETA, SR 412.10).

The most important provisions can be found in the “Apprenticeship Handbook”.

Related Glossary Entries

Employment Act (EmpA)The Federal Act of 13 March 1964 on Employment in Business, Trade and Industry (Employment Act, EmpA, SR 822.11, revised on 20 March 1998) largely…

Apprenticeship contractThe apprenticeship contract must be signed before or at the latest at the beginning of a VET programme. It is a particular form of private law…

LiabilityLiability means that someone has to answer for damage caused. This may be based on a contractual obligation or on an act of non-contractual…

Contracting partiesThe learner and employer are the contracting parties in the apprenticeship contract. In other words, they are the partners who abide by their…

LearnerLearners (or apprentices) are considered to have finished their compulsory education, be aged fifteen or over, have signed an apprenticeship contract…

Standard employment contract (SEC)Despite their name, “standard employment contracts” (SECs) are not contracts. A standard employment contract is a set of rules, enacted by the State…

Swiss Code of Obligations (CO)The words “Swiss Code of Obligations” generally refers to the Federal Act of 30 March 1911 on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: Code…

Legal protectionThe State allows citizens to assert their rights (legal protection standards) if they feel that they have been unfavourably treated compared to other…