You know, to my best knowledge, workers have no choice to actually give their opinion on working either 24/7, or shifts, etc. It's the independent communes who decide. Same goes for the regie.

So, while we are goning on wild that kids and elderly should have showered this past Sunday, it is up to the commune to actually allow the change of schedule. And, they have to have it suggested. It's incredibly regulated. If the owner/manager of the company doesn't want any exceptions, it will not change. If they apply, however, to the bureau of commerce, to have emergency team working, he might have it approved. Chances are the handymen would like to even work 24/7 but can't.

Okz, back to the CH is still in the Middle Ages debate and all the other protest songs..

Absolutely. This is my main problem too. Is the concept of shifts too hard to grasp or...?
Guaranteed there are workers that would rather work Sunday and have Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday off. What about those poor workers then?? Why are we not giving them the quality of life they require?

That's fanatastic..good for ya.

..not sure why you would share that on a public forum and all, but hey, at least you got some help pertaining you issue.

Also, just a quick comment to the person who called the OP spoiled:

I think the main reason why North Americans get upset at this system is because, for the most part, they all ''paid their dues'' in the previous countries, worked the crappy student jobs, worked the night shifts, were on call - because that's how the system there works. I know I've worked on New Years, on Christmas, and countless Sundays. But then you get home, and you are able to call someone 24/7 if your heating/plumbing/electricity doesn't work.

Afterwards, people go to school, get their degrees, or acquire work experience and they don't have to work these jobs anymore. Some still do though - some people don't care, or the hours suit them, or they are just simply after less intellectually-stimulating jobs. But anyway, we all survived, and worked hard, especially because we were flexible and did not decide one day off is more special than the other. We weren't scared to work overtime, or to miss some drinks with friends once in a while because our work required us to. Say what you want about the quality of life of these plumbers and about how we need to protect their Sundays, but I simply don't agree. Take another day off - who's inflexible now? Like I said, I guarantee that there are people here in Switzerland who would be perfectly happy to work on Sundays and take other days off during the week.

So, no, I do not believe someone like the OP is spoiled - i believe the majority of Swiss workers are the ones who are spoiled, sorry! Spoiled by the system, spoiled by their days off, their mentality, and their set-in-stone work hours.

If Swiss people want more flexibility in the days they work, they will put it to the vote. At the moment, they don't- and as much as your opinion is valid, so is theirs in their own country.

For real emergencies, there will always be somebody to do the job. But here, where I live, it will always be the boss who will turn up, not an employee.

Switzerland is not the UK nor the US - and it has advantages and inconveniences. As a Swiss I never expected my customs to be imposed on the Brits

I just about had it here. After weeks of trying to install a basic shower and 4 different sets of people... The last one just left and i think he really f&@cked it up this time. He told me he did 22 of these showers last year so i relaxed. After he left, i went to check. It is all crooked and set in cement. No way the water will drain. Quite frankly, they are all idiots here on the renovation side.
I cant take it anymore.

Relax, he was a skilled worker who spent 3 years doing his apprenticeship. At least it was a certified mess.
On a more serious note, sorry to hear about that.

I want to know where the concept of Swiss quality came from. Who came up with this propaganda. I think Goebbels ( or whatever the spelling) could not come up with a bigger lie.

In all my years of dealing with CH i only met one guy, a surgeon, who was top notch.

6 families live in the building. 2 elderly people, a young couple, a disabled older gentleman with asthma (living at 1000m helps his breathing), 3 families with a total of 5 kids that range from my 4 year old to a 1 year old.

Our plumber mixed up the tap plate for the shower with the one for the bath so there was no way you could turn on the water for the bath - the knob was missing (when he went home).

The electrician forgot to wire up the room thermostats to the mains.
(he didn't understand what he had done wrong until I ran some temporary wires over the Christmas holidays to get it working).

He also wired up all the apartment door bells together - which was quite funny the first time someone called around but got to you after a couple of months (he couldn't understand how to fix it).

Someone else put in the heated towel rails the wrong way around so the open ends through which you feed the towels were against the wall.

The gardener's mate, whilst scattering grass seed through it all over the flowerbeds by mistake (I saw her do it) but she missed the lawn.

The person who installed the washing machine said the door couldn't be changed around so it opened against the wall and you couldn't get any clothes in (a five minute job that evening for me but they charged 300CHF).

I'm not too impressed by this Swiss quality either and when something breaks in the house, even my Swiss wife rolls her eyes and mutters "Schweizer Qualität".

But why Sunday??? Before my wife and I became teachers, we both had consecutive mid week days off (wed and thurs). Why would that be any different than a Sunday. A day is what YOU make of it. It just seems like we are placing such an emphasis on this one day. It's as if no one can friggen rest or relax or spend quality time with people unless it's a Sunday.

You mean they know that there is more to life than working? No wonder I love it here.
I bet half the workers people are complaining about are not even Swiss and are probably foreigners like us.

If it was a 5 minute job then why did you not do it yourself from the start? Shit plumbers exist the world over and not only in Swissy.

Don't get me wrong I have met my share of plonker Swiss workers but some of you on this forum do come across as people who were born with a silver spoon or maybe spoilt rotten as kids.

Spoilt as kids, huh?
This is one of the richest countries in the world. I expect a perfect job done for the price i am charged. This is not Zimbabwe. So basic services should be provided to a high standard ie. no wiring apartment bells together.

One thing i dont get. With all the incompetence, how do they get the trains to run on time?

I wanted to but it was a new build and I wasn't allowed to do anything before the handover.

Rubbish plumbers exist all over the world Of course. There just seem to be an abundance of them here.

To add to the list of crazy things Swiss workers have done:

My colleague asked the landlord to fit a shower panel on the side of the bath, he organised a worker and while my colleague was at work he promptly fitted it.... on the wrong end of the bath.... but no problem the solution was easy... he fitted a second one on the right end. Good job my colleague is not fat!

Having done a major renovation in Switzerland I could go on and on about the crazy things we faced but better just to give you all the best advice you ever heard... USE GERMAN BUILDERS!

Bruster

All the Greek plumbers who could not make it in their own country must have moved over here >joke<

One of my neighbours had a new bathroom installed.
She was delighted with it until she went in to use the loo and found she couldn't close the door because the door hit the wash-hand basin.
The Swiss don't always get things right, but Pimlico Plumbers aren't brilliant.

The thing with Pimlico Plumbers is you dont expect from them very much to begin with.

I think we also have to remember what really differentiates Pimlico Plumbers from Swiss ones.....

...... An extra zero on the bill!

I've already replied re Sunday Jerralie- because it happens to be the ONE day when everybody is off work together - Sunday because of our Christian tradition. But agreed, nowadays, it could be Wednesday, or Tuesday, or anyday for that matter - but then you'd have the same problem, lol. People want to be with their family, socialise, join club randos or ski trips, go play boules or whatever, but together. So ONE specific day is set aside, unless you work in real emergency services. Same in France btw, or Italy, or Spain - or most of Europe. Won't mention the vast majority of UK emergency plumbers again

Main thing- have you got hot water again? Hope so.

The truth- I'd been hissed off as well and might even have ranted ... a bit, but not in EPIC proportion.

Bruster, the extra zero - for Pimlico surely! In 1971 in London we had both the petrol strike and the change to natural gas - so no heat, no hot water and no cooking for WEEKS.