Relief organization Heks to lay off around 40 employees by the end of the month
Published: Wednesday, Nov 13th 2024, 22:50
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The aid organization of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church (Heks) will have to make 36 to 41 employees redundant by the end of November. The reason for the measure is the non-renewal of the legal protection mandate at the Federal Asylum Center Northwestern Switzerland.
There will be further redundancies for employees with shorter notice periods and for employees who will remain employed for longer than the end of February 2025 due to longer statutory retention periods or for work related to the completion of the mandate, the Heks announced on Wednesday evening. It thus confirmed a report on the reformed website ref.ch.
In July, the Federal Office for Migration (SEM) awarded the legal protection contract for the Federal Asylum Center Northwestern Switzerland from March 2025 to the Bernese Legal Advice Center for People in Need and the Swiss Workers' Relief Association. The Heks thus lost a lucrative mandate worth seven million francs.
Prospect of follow-up solutions
With the loss of the mandate, redundancies cannot be avoided, wrote Heks. A social plan has been drawn up for those affected, they are being offered job coaching and there are also options for individual solutions in cases of hardship. In addition, the Heks supports them in finding employment with the Bernese legal advice center.
A follow-up solution has already been found for five employees, and five more have such a solution in prospect. Heks continues to be responsible for the legal representation of asylum seekers in Eastern Switzerland on behalf of the federal government.
Terminations and investigation
At the beginning of June 2023, research by "NZZ am Sonntag" revealed that Heks had previously significantly reduced its legal representation in Northwestern Switzerland. This was followed by several departures of legal representatives in the region. As a result, the Heks launched an investigation.
In its response to Keystone-SDA, the Heks rejected any connection between the "operational problems that were fully resolved at the beginning of 2024 and the SEM's decision". There was no evidence of this in the communication between the Heks and the SEM.
©Keystone/SDA
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