Working hours in the painting and plastering trade

Who does the CLA apply to?

The Federal Council has declared the CLA for the painting and plastering trade generally binding – from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. It therefore applies to all businesses within its scope, including those that are not members of the trade association.

It covers large parts of German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. French-speaking Switzerland and some regions have their own agreements. The CLA defines in detail whether your business is covered.

Working hours: an annual total instead of a fixed week

The CLA uses annual working hours. This lets you spread work across the year – more hours in peak season, fewer in quiet months – as long as the maximum limits are respected.

• Annual working hours 2026 and 2027: 2,088 hours (261 days × 8 hours); 2028: 2,080 hours
• On average 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day
• Maximum at 80–100% workload: 48 hours per week
• Maximum below 80% workload: 9.6 hours per day

Overtime and bonuses

• Overtime ordered by the employer, and its bonuses, are generally compensated with time off.
• Hours beyond the weekly maximum are credited with a 25% time bonus.
• Night, Sunday and public-holiday work earns a 100% time bonus. Under the Labour Act it generally also requires official authorisation.
• Overtime not compensated with time off is paid out with a bonus – deadlines and caps are set by the CLA.

Saturday work

Saturday work is generally paid with a 25% wage bonus. Depending on company size, a set number of Saturdays per year may be worked without the bonus. These must be reported digitally to the responsible regional joint commission (RPBK) in advance – by Friday, 3 pm.

Travel time

Travel time to the site must be recorded separately in the working-time records. For member companies of the painters' and plasterers' employer association, part of it remains unpaid; this share decreases step by step:

• 2026/2027: 25 minutes per day unpaid
• 2027/2028: 20 minutes per day unpaid
• 2028/2029: 15 minutes per day unpaid

Important: this travel-time rule has not been declared generally binding. Businesses that are not association members pay the full travel time.

Mandatory working-time records

The CLA requires accurate working-time records based on hourly work reports – using the template of the central joint commission (ZPBK) or an equivalent system. The joint commissions check compliance; without traceable records, contractual penalties may apply.

• Record working time and travel time separately
• Employees may inspect their records at any time
• At year-end or when leaving, employees receive their working-time records

What the Labour Act adds

The Swiss Labour Act applies alongside the CLA. Where the CLA is stricter – such as the 48-hour maximum instead of 50 hours – the CLA takes precedence.

• Daily and weekly working hours including overtime, and breaks of 30 minutes or more, must be recorded (Art. 46 ArG, Art. 73 ArGV 1).
• Records must be kept for at least 5 years.
• A rest period of at least 11 hours applies between two working days.

Holidays, wages and 13th month's salary

Holiday entitlement, minimum wages by wage class and the 13th month's salary are also set in the CLA. You will find the current rates in the CLA and its annexes (links below).