Swiss trade association

Swiss Trade Association sgv
Seat	Bern
founding	1879
place	Bern , Switzerland
president	Jean-François Rime
executive Director	Hans-Ulrich Bigler
Members	230
Website	www.sgv-usam.ch

The Swiss Trade Association (sgv; French Union suisse des arts et métiers , usam ; Italian Unione svizzera delle arti e mestieri , usam ) is the umbrella organization of Swiss SMEs . The sgv represents around 230 associations with around 500,000 companies.

The office is based in Bern . Hans-Ulrich Bigler has been the director of the sgv since 2008 . Jean-François Rime has been President since May 2012 .

Association

The association forms the national interest group for the promotion of SMEs and the self-employed in Switzerland. He stands up for personal responsibility , to property and a lean and efficient state one.

With its commitment and policy, the sgv wants to secure jobs , promote economic growth and make or maintain SMEs - also internationally - competitive.

Core businesses

In the core business of “SME policy”, the sgv generally strives to reduce legal norms and regulations, is committed to relieving the administrative burden on SMEs and fights for the lowering of taxes, duties and fees. Another central concern of the sgv is vocational training. In order to defend and promote these interests, the SGV is active at the federal level.

According to its own statements, the association is politically independent. He is committed to improving the economic and political framework.

The sgv deals with the following topics:

Labor market policy
Vocational training policy
Energy and environmental policy
Finance and tax policy
Mobility and spatial development
Social policy
Economic policy

organization

The sgv is an umbrella organization with around 250 member associations. It has representatives in the federal parliament - especially in the parliamentary trade group - as well as in cantons and communes , but also in cantonal trade associations and the industry associations . He is also a member of UEAPME (Union Européenne de l'Artisanat et des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises) .

As the highest body, the Swiss Trade Congress with around 1,000 delegates meets every two years and determines the long-term orientation of the association. The parliament of the sgv, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce, with its 99 delegates determines the political direction and draws the slogans for the federal votes . The fifteen-member board of directors is responsible for the management of the day-to-day business, while the operational business is handled by the sgv's office.

President

1879: Louis Troxler
1880–1882: Friedrich Autenheimer
1882–1884: Theodor Hoffmann-Merian
1884–1885: Friedrich Wüest
1885–1897: Johannes Stössel
1897–1915: Jakob Scheidegger
1915–1930: Hans Tschumi
1930–1941: August Schirmer
1941–1951: Paul Gysler
1951–1968: Ulrich Meyer
1968–1973: Karl Hackhofer
1973–1982: Rudolf Etter
1982–1991: Markus Kündig
1991–2004: Hans-Rudolf Früh
2004–2010: Eduard Engelberger
2010–2011: Bruno Zuppiger
since 2012: Jean-François Rime

Directors

1963–1979: Otto Fischer
1980–1984: Markus Kamber
1985–1989: Peter Clavadetscher
1990-2008: Pierre Triponez
since 2008: Hans-Ulrich Bigler

criticism

The trade association and its director Hans-Ulrich Bigler were criticized in 2015 for their campaign against the revision of the federal law on radio and television (RTVG): u. a. for style, false claims, and committee members falsely listed as opponents of the revision.

Other umbrella organizations in Switzerland

Web links

Bernard Degen : Swiss Trade Association (SGV). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Trade association website
Sarah Schmalz: Swiss Trade Association. On a collision course. In: WOZ Die weekly newspaper 4/2018 from January 25, 2018.

Individual evidence

^ Jean-François Rime new president of the trade association. Media release of May 23, 2012.
↑ ^a ^b Neue Zürcher Zeitung. March 28, 1990.
↑ The Swiss Trade Association regulates the successor to Triponez: Hans-Ulrich Bigler becomes the new trade director , press portal, March 27, 2008.
^ Philipp Cueni: RTVG: The director of the trade association over-turned. In: "Edito + Klartext" from May 7, 2015
↑ Marcel Pdermatt, Joël Widmer, Nico Menzato: "Terrible!" - «Unspeakable!» - «Defamatory!». Revolt against Bigler's hate campaign. In: SonntagsBlick from May 24, 2015.
↑ Philipp Loser: With chopped off fingers and the cross-eyed de Weck against the SRG. In: Tages-Anzeiger .ch / Newsnet from May 19, 2015.
↑ Simon Gemperli: How coarse can a referendum fight be? In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung from May 20, 2015.
↑ Philippe Pfister: "Is that the new style of the FDP?" In: SonntagsBlick from May 24, 2015.
^ Antonio Fumagalli: This is how the trade association cheats in the voting battle. In: az Nordwestschweiz / Aargauer Zeitung of May 8, 2015.
↑ Pascal Unternährer: Filippo Leutenegger in the propaganda trap. In: Tages-Anzeiger .ch / Newsnet from May 22, 2015

[präsi-1] Jean-François Rime new president of the trade association. Media release of May 23, 2012.

[nzz-2] Neue Zürcher Zeitung. March 28, 1990.

[3] The Swiss Trade Association regulates the successor to Triponez: Hans-Ulrich Bigler becomes the new trade director , press portal, March 27, 2008.

[4] Philipp Cueni: RTVG: The director of the trade association over-turned. In: "Edito + Klartext" from May 7, 2015

[5] Marcel Pdermatt, Joël Widmer, Nico Menzato: "Terrible!" - «Unspeakable!» - «Defamatory!». Revolt against Bigler's hate campaign. In: SonntagsBlick from May 24, 2015.

[6] Philipp Loser: With chopped off fingers and the cross-eyed de Weck against the SRG. In: Tages-Anzeiger .ch / Newsnet from May 19, 2015.

[7] Simon Gemperli: How coarse can a referendum fight be? In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung from May 20, 2015.

[8] Philippe Pfister: "Is that the new style of the FDP?" In: SonntagsBlick from May 24, 2015.

[9] Antonio Fumagalli: This is how the trade association cheats in the voting battle. In: az Nordwestschweiz / Aargauer Zeitung of May 8, 2015.

[10] Pascal Unternährer: Filippo Leutenegger in the propaganda trap. In: Tages-Anzeiger .ch / Newsnet from May 22, 2015