Unia, the Little Bosses and Fraud of the Unemployment Fund
23.12.2017
SPA18 Swiss Press Local – Pascale Burnier
Unia, the Little Bosses and Fraud of the Unemployment Fund
24heures
2018
Pascale Burnier
2018
This is a scandal that has not only shaken the world of the trade unions and the construction industry of the canton of Vaud, but caused a stir throughout Switzerland. Employees of the Unia union and small business owners colluded to cheat the cantonal unemployment fund out of millions. The journalist Pascale Burnier wondered why so many bankruptcies had been registered in the canton of Vaud. She investigated for months in the very secretive world of construction companies. The system was to stop paying the salaries and social security contributions of their employees, causing the company to go bankrupt. The boss would then demand compensation for employees, some of which were fictitious. Through the trust she established with members of the workforce and despite the death threats made against some of them, Pascale Burnier patiently gathered testimonies and evidence before publishing her report. The case had political ramifications at the highest federal level.