Arbeitsvertrag · employment contract
The employment contract is the basic contract of Swiss employment law. The Code of Obligations governs it from Article 319 onwards, with many mandatory rules that protect the employee.
Request a demoThe term in four languages
- German
- Arbeitsvertrag
- French
- contrat de travail
- Italian
- contratto di lavoro
- English
- employment contract
Definition
Under an individual employment contract, the employee undertakes to work in the service of the employer for a limited or unlimited period. The employer undertakes to pay a salary based on the time worked or the tasks performed. As a rule, the contract is not subject to any specific formal requirement. The employee's subordination to the employer distinguishes it from an agency contract and from a contract for work and services.
Swiss federal acts are published in German, French and Italian, and all three versions are equally authoritative. The English term shown here comes from the Federal Administration's English translation, published on Fedlex for information only. Where there is no translation, it follows common usage.
Full glossaryThe term in an official text
powered by Neur.onDurch den Einzelarbeitsvertrag verpflichtet sich der Arbeitnehmer auf bestimmte oder unbestimmte Zeit zur Leistung von Arbeit im Dienst des Arbeitgebers und dieser zur Entrichtung eines Lohnes, der nach Zeitabschnitten (Zeitlohn) oder nach der geleisteten Arbeit (Akkordlohn) bemessen wird.
By means of an individual employment contract, the employee undertakes to work in the service of the employer for a limited or unlimited period and the employer undertakes to pay him a salary based on the amount of time he works (time wage) or the tasks he performs (piece work).
Source: Fedlex, Code of Obligations. In Corrext, this segment and the ones around it appear in Fast lookup CHnell, each with its reference.
Related terms
The clause that prevents an employee from competing with their former employer.
Überstunden · overtimeHours worked beyond the working time agreed in the contract.
Kündigung · terminationThe notice of termination that ends a contract of unlimited duration when the notice period expires.