The Swiss Labour Act (LTr) defines night work as work carried out between 11.00 pm and 6.00 am. Working during these hours requires special authorisation from the employer, and those who do so have specific rights that go beyond what is usually set out in the contract.
The system is simple, but few people are aware of it. If you work night shifts occasionally – fewer than 25 nights a year – you are entitled to a 25 per cent bonus on top of your pay for every hour worked at night. If you do so on a regular basis – that is, 25 or more nights a year – the compensation is no longer in cash: your employer must give you time off equivalent to 10 per cent of the hours worked at night, within a maximum period of one year.
There is a third point that hardly anyone mentions. If you work night shifts on a permanent and regular basis, you are entitled to a free medical examination paid for by the company, and to request a transfer to a day shift if the doctor considers it necessary. This is not a courtesy or an extra benefit: it is enshrined in law.
The difference compared with Spain is striking. There, the night-time premium is applied almost automatically under collective agreements. Here, it depends on how many nights a year you work, and the sectors where this is most common – hospitality, cleaning, logistics and transport – have many workers who have gone years without claiming the compensation to which they are fully entitled. Because nobody explained it to them when they started.