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Die Zeit Le temps Time
Inhalt
Editorial Die Zeit
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Editorial Le temps
Sozialpartnerschaft bei Novartis Resultate der IPV-Wahlen
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Partenariat social chez Novartis Résultats des élections IPV
Pensionskasse: Wechsel vom Leistungs- zum Beitragsprimat NAV, für Sie aktiv 12. Mitgliederversammlung des NAV Fotowettbewerb 2010
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Mitglieder werben Mitglieder
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Die Werte der Zeit
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Caisse de pensions: passage de la primauté de prestations à la primauté de cotisations
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Editorial Time
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Social partnership at Novartis Results of the IPV elections
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Pension fund: change from defined benefits to defined contributions
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NAV, working for you Photo competition 2010
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12th General Meeting of NAV members
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The values of time
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Sights worth seeing in Basel, the Regio and Interregio 15th contribution: the fortress of Neuf-Brisach
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Members recruit members
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NAV, active pour vous Concours de photos 2010
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12e assemblée des membres de la NAV
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La valeur du temps
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Sehenswertes aus Basel, Regio und Interregio 15. Beitrag: aus Frankreich Neuf-Brisach
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Curiosités de Bâle, régio et interrégio 15e partie: Neuf-Brisach en France 30
Novacomics
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Des membres recherchent de nouveaux membres
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Sämtliche Artikel finden Sie auch unter: www.nav.ch
Impressum Mitgliedschaften Angestellte Schweiz arb: Angestellten Vereinigung Region Basel Starke Region Basel Redaktionsteam Henriette Brunner, Ruedi Haas, Daniel Linder, Roland Hirt, Davide Lauditi, Sabine Zeller, Susanne Hänni Kontaktadresse Novartis International AG Henriette Brunner Postfach, 4002 Basel Telefon 061 324 43 43 E-Mail henriette.brunner@novartis.com Internet www.nav.ch
info Juni 2010
NAV Geschäftsstelle WRO-1225.P, Postfach, 4002 Basel Telefon 061 697 39 00 Telefax 061 697 76 73 E-Mail nav.nav@novartis.com Offizielle Adresse Novartis Angestelltenverband Mattenstrasse 51, Postfach, 4002 Basel info erscheint vierteljährlich Laufende Nr.: 50/2010 Auflage: 3700 Expl. Redaktionsschluss info 3/2010 8. August 2010 Versand info 3/2010 21. September 2010
Titelbild Die Zeit (Foto WoK design) Grafik/Satz cdesign, Reinach Druck Runser Druck & Satz AG, Basel Jegliche Wiedergabe von Artikeln und Bildern, auch auszugsweise, nur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung der Redaktion. La reproduction/publication d’articles et de photos ainsi que d’extraits d’articles ne peut se faire sans l’accord écrit de la rédaction. The reproduction of this publication in any form is forbidden without the expressed written consent of the editorial team.
Übersetzungen Inter-Translations SA, Pavillonweg 4, 3001 Bern CLS Communications AG, Elisabethenanlage 11, 4051 Basel
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Editorial
Time
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ome people have too little time and others too much. Pressure of time versus boredom. Some people would like the day to last for 35 hours, while others have a superfluity of time. Keeping the world of work and leisure in balance is a great challenge for many people which cannot be taken up easily. In our modern business environment, being fast and flexible has become an imperative. The attainment of targets has become far more important than the precise number of hours in the working day. The speed of modern technology, the Internet, e-mail and mobile phones calls for constant intense concentration and we must be there for other people round the clock. As unexpected and urgent demands often clash with fixed priorities, the temptation is to do all kinds of things at one and the same time. Time management has become the key value learned by experience. To gain time, we take fewer breaks. We do not do one thing after another, but try to do several things at the very same time. Multitasking is a familiar expression; if you are able to multitask you can count on recognition and respect. But these constant changes of content require the utmost concentration and the flood of information and speed of e-mails and the Internet place increasing demands upon the resources of our brain. We google, mail, surf, chat and shift, update, delete, create and cancel like mad. Everything at the same time, ever ready. We expect our brain to function in top gear all the time.
“The constant endeavour to achieve still more steals from us the time to enjoy what we already have. ” Gerhard Scherhorn
Work-life balance has become a permanent balancing act which is constantly threatening to go out of kilter. We plan with good intentions to spend more time with our family because business and private life have become too confused in the need to be constantly available. But who is not familiar with the final spurt to respect the next deadline? And we always have deadlines. Fortunately, today, there are aircraft, cars and mobile phones to reach our next appointment as fast as possible or simply to let someone else know that the meal will be on the table in 20 minutes time. We are not prepared to waste any time by sitting around unnecessarily. To make the best possible use of the leisure time which is in such short supply, all kinds of modern household appliances are available today. Things have come to such a pass that many people cannot stand resting and “sitting around doing nothing”. Constant multitasking is a wonderful way of avoiding problems. But it does not solve them, quite the contrary. What does time mean in our modern society? Time for yourself, for your family. Time for work and also time to recuperate. Those are the basic criteria for a perfect work-life balance. Without them, our daily life becomes increasingly imbalanced.
Your NAV Chairperson Henriette Brunner
info Juni 2010
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Social partnership at Novartis
IPV elections 2010
Big success for NAV in the PV-A elections With the election of 8 NAV candidates to the Employees’ representative council for employees with individual contract (PV-A), NAV can justly pride itself on another great success. With the same number of seats won as three years ago in this body (8 out of a total of 12 seats) the voters have confirmed their approval of our NAV strategy and their desire for continuity. We are sincerely grateful to all our members for this electoral success and for their vigorous support by casting their votes for us.
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he PV-A elections were held for the first time electronically and the participation turned out to be excellent at 53%. NAV was very well placed with 6 existing staff representatives re-elected (ranking 1–4 and 8–9) and two new candidates in positions
6 and 7. Over and above the experienced representative councils with many years of experience, NAV now looks forward to a new term of office with two new young colleagues. We are a highly motivated team and will stand up with dedicated commitment for your rights in a style
which is tough on the issues but fair in their implementation. Constructive dialogue and a target-focused, solution-led advance into the future will continue to be our guides.
Results of NAV candidates to the Employees’ representative council for employees with individual contract (PV-A)
1. Henriette 2. Sylvia Fuchs Brunner 1880 votes 1971 votes existing member existing member
3. Ruedi Haas 1836 votes existing member
4. Davide Lauditi 1763 votes existing member
6. Susanne Hänni 1688 votes new member
By casting your vote, you have decided who is to represent your interests in relation to our company for the next four years. NAV is most grateful to you for the confidence placed in us. We will continue to work in a dedicated and tenacious spirit on behalf of all office employees.
7. Sabine Zeller 1629 votes new member 34
9. Andrea Pätzold 1598 votes existing member
10. Roland Hirt 1578 votes existing member info Juni 2010
Elections to the GAV Employees’ representative council for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement (PV-GAV) Why did NAV nominate a candidate to chair the PV-GAV? For the first time since the merger to form Novartis, there was a battle for the Chairmanship of the GAV section of the internal staff representation. The previous Chair Bernd Körner who has long years of experience was always tacitly confirmed in his duties. He will now be taking early retirement in mid-2010. That is why NAV decided to contest the election for the Chairmanship of the GAV section too. NAV put up a highly experienced and competent representative council in the person of Martino Villani as a candidate for the PV-GAV Chairmanship in Basel. This professional chemist has many years of practical experience as an employee representative council and has been leading a dedicated and fair fight for many years in the service of his colleagues on the GAV. Candidates for the PV-GAV Alongside Martino Villani, another highly experienced member of many years standing, Daniel Linder, was also a candidate for the PV-GAV executive body. Both were supported by the dynamic, new NAV candidates Johanna Doberstein and Tiziano Bozzo for Basel, with Daniel König for Stein. We are particularly keen on greater participation in the GAV sector of the employee representative councils to conduct negotiations on the basis of a tough yet fair struggle with a constructive dialogue. In a survey in the run-up to the 2010 pay negotiations, 80 per cent of the respondents wanted the PV-A and PVGAV employee representative councils to negotiate jointly. NAV respected their wishes and came out in favor of this solution. The PV-A then completed the negotiations with a pay increase of 1.5 per cent and a basic sum of 0.5 per cent, while the PV-GAV colleagues were not satisfied info Juni 2010
with this outcome and sought an escalation to the trade union. After a 4th round of negotiations with the Unia trade union, PV-GAV finally had to accept a worse result with no basic sum for GAV employees. This is not the first time that the PVGAV section has proved less successful in negotiations for GAV employees by making exaggerated claims and defending utopian wishes. We want to change this, because we take the view that such differences should not exist. We want to achieve stronger participation in future in the PV-GAV too. We want to work harder on behalf of the PV-GAV without these party and trade union battles in the background. Results of the first round of the ballot for the PV-GAV Basel Martino Villani achieved a revolutionary outcome in the battle for the Chair with just nine votes fewer than the opposing candidate from UniaPlus. Together with Johanna Doberstein, a new candidate, he also ranked 3rd and 4th in the body as a whole. The two other NAV candidates, Daniel Linder and Tiziano Bozzo, were elected as substitute members. The overall result achieved by the NAV and the GAV section is astonishing as all 4 candidates obtained a seat on the PV-GAV. On his first attempt as a new candidate, Daniel König unfortunately won too few votes to secure a seat on the PV-GAV. Repeat election Unfortunately, problems were experienced in the organization of the PV-GAV elections. They were serious enough to call the election result into question. The appeal was approved and the elections to the PV-GAV had to be repeated.
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Social partnership at Novartis
Results of the NAV candidates for the Employees’ representative council for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement (PV-GAV) During the second ballot Martino Villani and Johanna Doberstein were selected as substitutes. Unfortunately the two other candidates Daniel Linder and Tiziano Bozzo were not selected for the PV-GAV Basel as well as Daniel Koenig in the first ballot for the PV-GAV Stein.
Martino Villani ChemiefachmannSpezialist
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Johanna Doberstein Projektassistentin ROCH
Daniel Linder Chemiefachmann
Tiziano Bozzo Chemiefachmann
Daniel KĂśnig Technischer Support
info Juni 2010
NAV, working for you
Big photo competition
Closing date for entries September 2010
A prize for your best photo on the theme of water! Just send us your best photo! NAV has 3 attractive prizes for you to win.
Competition conditions – Each member may enter a maximum of 3 photos – Format: JPG or PNG – Size: minimum 2000 x 1440 pixels
info Juni 2010
– Rights: you must have taken the photo yourself. You own the rights in the photos and are not in breach of copyright or personal rights of any third parties. NAV may publish your images on
its media (Web site, periodical, info, etc).
Send to: nav.nav@novartis.com
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Social partnership at Novartis
Novartis Pension Fund
Switch from a defined benefit to a defined contribution model On January 1, 2011, the Novartis Pension Fund will switch from a defined benefit to a defined contribution model. Employees older than 55 will remain in the defined benefit plan, i.e. nothing will change for them. All retirees will also continue to be insured under the defined benefit plan. Employees born in 1956 and later will switch to the defined contribution plan with the relevant transitional regulations.
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The Board of Trustees is responsible for the strategic management of the Pension Fund and for ensuring that it is sustainably financed and can meet all of its liabilities to active and retired members at any time. This prime responsibility of the Pension Fund Board must not be subject to personal interests. The NAV considers it crucial that the Pension Fund remains efficient and stable so that all employees can also be guaranteed secure pensions in the future. The NAV has given these objectives top priority in its considerations regarding the pension plan. The NAV also considered it important to have greater flexibility in the savings plan so that retirement saving contributions could be increased or decreased depending on the individual’s situation. Why the change? With the exception of Switzerland, nearly all of the Novartis employees worldwide are already insured under a defined contribution plan. The challenging financial year in 2008 as well as the continuing increase in life expectancy and the resulting lengthening of the period of pension entitlement have recently put many Swiss pension funds in a difficult position. Retirement savings are accrued through contributions made by the employee, the employer and the interest rate in order to accumulate the required target capital by the age of 65. If the “third contributor,” i.e. interest income, is in trouble, this jeopardizes the financing model. 38
Recent experience has shown that obligations in the defined benefit model are not sufficiently financed by contributions and returns. If nothing changed, the Pension Fund would be forced to make higher-risk investments in order to generate the necessary high target return. This would conflict with due diligence, as over 70% of retirement savings are currently required to finance current pensions. These cannot be reduced in the event of underfunding and the entire investment risk is borne by active insured members and the employer. The new model In the course of extensive negotiations, the employee trustees and substitutes exerted a considerable amount of influence over the new Pension Fund model and transitional provisions that have now been agreed, and played a role in successfully reconciling the initially strongly dissenting positions. The new Fund is up-to-date, modern and offers a high degree of flexibility to those it insures. The Pension Fund, or the company (if the Pension Fund lacks free funds), will in the future no longer finance early retirement. However, thanks to the new savings plan, which will accrue savings from the age of 40 and which will be financed equally by the employee and the employer, those insured will still be offered acceptable conditions for early retirement. Although the conditions at age 60 are not as beneficial as those offered under the current model, buy-ins are taxdeductible so that employees can enter
into early retirement at age 60 under the same conditions as before. Thanks to the transitional regulations and the savings plan, the conditions for early retirement at age 62 are the same as they are today, and at age 65 they may be even better. The new model consists of Pension Fund 1 for total income of up to CHF 150,000 per year and Pension Fund 2 for higher salary components up to a maximum of CHF 220,000 per year. In terms of salary components, Pension Fund 1, which is structured as an allinclusive pension plan, exceeds the statutory minimum for occupational pension funds (BVG) of a maximum of CHF 82,080 of the insured annual salary by far. In addition to the advantages that are inherent in the system, e.g. completely transparent financing, full distribution of solid returns on the capital markets to those insured and clearly documented termination benefits, these Funds also offer the following advantages that are specific to Novartis: – The pension target at age 65 (60% of the insured salary) remains unchanged. – The employee will continue to finance one-third of the standard plan and the employer will finance two-thirds. – Improved risk benefits for death and disability during employment; incentive, shift and bonus insurance are now also covered in risk insurance. In Pension Fund 1, missing contribution years are compensated in the event of a loss. – Employees can determine the amount of the target benefits by selecting the contribution plan, which provides for three options (Standard, Standard Plus and Standard Minus) – taking into account individual financial planning – and can be easily switched. – Employees can determine the amount of the target benefits by selecting the contribution plan, which provides for three options (Standard, Standard Plus and Standard Minus) – taking into info Juni 2010
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account individual financial planning – and can be easily switched. Option for full annuitization under Pension Fund 1. Option to withdraw up to 50% of retirement savings in Pension Fund 1. Creation of a savings plan financed by equal contributions from the employee and the employer from age 40 in order to provide for a transitional pension in the event of early retirement or to substantially improve benefits for regular retirement. Increased, tax-deductible opportunities to purchase benefits in both the pension and savings plan. Guaranteed minimum interest rate on retirement savings in Pension Fund 1 (i.e. at least 0%, even in the event of negative investment performance). No hidden solidarities in financing and complete transparency in the saving process (savings premium and interest). Under the previous model, early retirement and increases in pension payments for individual employees were financed with contributions from all employees. In the future, a variable interest rate on savings capital will create opportunities and risks for employees. Staggered contributions will result in increased contributions for older insured individuals, and lower contributions for younger individuals. Choice of three to five different investment strategies which have varying risk profiles for salaries starting at CHF 150,000.
New employees – All employees joining the company on or after January 1, 2011 will be included solely in the new Pension Fund. Retirees – There will be no changes for retirees and they will continue to receive their guaranteed pensions as before.
Henriette Brunner and Eva Trächslin Pension Fund Trustees
How the switch to the defined contribution plan will be made Active employees – All insured individuals born in 1956 and later will switch to the new defined contribution plan on January 1, 2011. In addition to all vested benefits, a compensation payment will be made into the individual pension accounts of the new Fund which takes into account age and number of service years in the company. – All those insured who were born in 1955 and earlier will remain in the current defined benefit plan and are therefore not affected by the switch. They will accordingly also not receive any compensation payments. info Juni 2010
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NAV, working for you
Twelfth General Meeting of the NAV
Focus on the ERC elections and the new Pension Fund model On May 4, 2010, more than 100 interested members attended the Annual General Meeting of the Novartis Employee Association (NAV) at the Gehry building. As usual, the statutory part of the meeting included an explanation of the finances, a review of the previous year and a discussion of the main areas of focus for 2010.
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s has been the case at past meetings, we noticed again this year that although many retirees attended the General Meeting, relatively few active members participated. In fact, a survey conducted by the NAV in 2009 showed that there was relatively low interest in the Annual General Meeting. We consider it a missed opportunity that more members were not there to hear the interesting remarks by Mr. Plüss, President of the Novartis Pension Fund, and to participate in the subsequent discussion. Nevertheless, those who did attend saw the NAV’s presentation of an eventful year, which included the successful election of its candidates to the Employee Representative Council (ERC) and the negotiation of changes to the internal Pension Fund. The social partnership was once again extremely active, and its key activities can be summarized as follows: Review of membership year 2009 Survey of NAV members The NAV believes it is crucial that it be able to record and represent the interests of all members, which is why we conducted another member survey in 2009. The survey revealed that the info newsletter and the home page continue to be among the preferred channels of information for members, and that the annual meeting is not a priority. Many of those who participated in the survey were also concerned about the development of various processes in their working environment. First and foremost, this included concerns over the new Pension Fund model, which was still being intensely 40
debated at the time of the survey. The Performance Management Process (PMP), with its requirements for “1” ratings, is also a hot topic. The NAV has once again identified seven areas of focus for the coming term of office in the social partnership that must be addressed as a priority, in particular the performance evaluation mentioned above. Change in the employee payment plan from 13 to 12 monthly salary payments As of January 2010, Novartis associates with individual employment contracts in the EASY area have been receiving their annual salary in 12 monthly salary payments instead of the previous 13. The payment plan has thereby been adapted to the system in place for management associates, and also to the practice in most of the foreign Group companies and to child and education allowance payments. Under the new payment plan, employees will not receive a lower salary; they will merely receive the same salary over 12 monthly payments instead of 13.
contrary, it was in fact forced to settle for a poorer result as it was unable to negotiate a base increase for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement. NAV Family Day Last fall, 147 NAV members and their families spent an eventful day in Augusta Raurica, the best preserved Roman city north of the Alps. Various workshops were held, such as “Bread baking in Roman times” and “Fragment puzzle,” which enabled kids to get involved and have lots of fun while expert guides taught the adults interesting facts about Roman times. A barbecue evening in the amphitheater rounded out this memorable and educational family day.
Salary negotiations Despite deflation, the Employee Representative Council for employees with individual employment contracts (PV-A), which largely comprised NAV employee representatives, was able to negotiate a 1.5 percent salary increase and a 0.5 percent base increase. The Employee Representative Council for associates covered by a collective bargaining agreement (PV-GAV), which was comprised exclusively of UniaPlus members, was not able to achieve a better result, even though negotiations were escalated to the Unia union. On the info Juni 2010
Employee Representative Council elections This April it was once again time to elect the internal Employee Representative Council ERC. Henriette Brunner announced that, thanks to the loyalty and support of its members, in its last term of office the NAV was once again able to form a clear majority in the Employee Representative Council for associates with individual employment contracts (PV-A). In order to continue to participate in the Employee Representative Council for employees with collective employment contracts (PV-GAV) and to conduct constructive negotiations, the NAV proposed a candidate for the chair in addition to four other candidates for the first time during these elections. The results of the PV-GAV election had not yet been announced at the time of the General Meeting as they have to be repeated due to problems with their execution. 2009 financial statements In the absence of the NAV’s financial manager, Stefanie Kniep, Sabine Zeller presented the previous year’s financial statements. The auditors for membership year 2009 were: Auditor 1 Walter Stebler Auditor 2 Peter Kopp Substitute Jörg Keusch The income statement, auditors’ report and budget for 2010 were unanimously approved by those present. Membership fees, which will remain the same in the coming year, were also confirmed. The President thanked the Treasurer, Felix A. Jenny, for his considerable effort. His detailed settlements in operations made a significant contribution to the flawless accounting and the NAV Executive Committee is pleased that Mr. Jenny will continue to provide his services in this term of office. Discharge of Executive Committee members Unfortunately, one’s career leaves less and less time for being involved in activities and organizations outside of work. In the absence of the three Executive Committee members who are stepping back and who were unable to attend the meetinfo Juni 2010
ing for professional reasons, Henriette Brunner thanked Maria JablonowskiBecker, Angelika Stampf and Elke Persohn for their many years of dedication as members of the Executive Committee. NAV Executive Committee elections Gilbert Fahrni was elected as Chair for the meeting and presided over the election. In accordance with the Articles of Association, the president is elected individually and the remaining Executive Committee members are elected in globo, as the Executive Committee constitutes itself. Since restructuring of the Executive Committee was planned, responsibilities were not allocated until the following Executive Committee meeting.
changes to the insured. In addition, an electronic program will be made available allowing every employee to calculate the impact of the new model on his/her expected pension fund assets. The subsequent lively discussion, lasted for more than an hour. Many critical
Executive Committee with official offices Henriette President, Editor-in-chief of info (PV-A member & Pension Fund trustee) Brunner Davide Vice-president, info Editor (Chair of the PV-A) Lauditi Kniep Stefanie Finances (Pension Fund Board of Trustees substitute) Roland Marketing & Services, info Editor (PV-A member) Hirt Hänni Susanne Marketing & Services and Continuing Education, info Editor (PV-A member) Sabine External Relations, info Editor (Deputy Chair of the PV-A) Zeller Linder Daniel info Editor (Pension Fund trustee), ARB Enlarged Executive Committee Fuchs Sylvia Projects (PV-A member) Haas Ruedi Projects (PV-A member, Pension Fund trustee) König Daniel Projects, Stein site relations Lerch Alexander Projects Meister Urs ARB committee member, member of the labor tribunal Pätzold Andrea Projects (PV-A member) Pellet André ARB committee member Trächslin Eva Vice-president of Pension Fund trustees Villani Martino PV-GAV member
All members of the Executive Committee were elected unanimously by those present.
Animated speech by Michael Plüss, President of the Novartis Pension Fund Michael Plüss, President of the Novartis Pension Fund, agreed to give a speech at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting. Following months of intense negotiations by the Board of Trustees of the Novartis Pension Fund regarding the change of pension fund model, the decision was not made until just before the General Meeting. This only served to heighten the attendees’ anticipation of the speech by Michael Plüss and the subsequent discussions with him and all of the NAV trustees, substitutes and an external specialist. In his remarks, Mr. Plüss emphasized the sustainability of the new system, which had to be adapted to the current circumstances. Over the coming months, the company will release details of the
questions were posed to the trustees and the President of the Novartis Pension Fund. Most of these could be answered, although personal issues and tax questions from cross-border commuters (especially Germans) had to be put off or referred directly to the Pension Fund Office. The NAV has already provided information on the topic of the change of model to its members, and the Pension Fund Office will now update this information regularly. At the end of the long General Meeting, which included intense discussions on the change of model, the NAV invited the attendees to the traditional drinks reception.
Roland Hirt NAV Executive Committee 41
NAV, working for you
Speeding up or slowing down
The values of time What does time mean in our modern society, in the world of work? In the age of the mobile, Internet and e-mail, everything has become so much faster. More and more impressions hit our brains at top speed. We are stretched and often overstretched. Something which was still topical one moment is relegated to the past the very next. This realization may not be new, but the speed at which these things are happening is bringing a growing number of people to the verge of despair.
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ncreasing demands are being placed on people in their professional lives. One project hounds out another. The processes gather speed: to become competitive you must run in top gear and, above all, function without hitches. Materially, most people are much better off today than they were a century ago, but they still strive for even more. The “fight” for a good job has become tough and many people are willing to do anything to get that good job. Some who have a secure working life are also interested in the first instance in fame, success and prestige. Others in turn identify so closely with their job or are under such pressure to perform that they no longer care how many hours they have to put in every day because they have targets which they must or are determined to achieve. A bonus is paid for hitting those targets and the bonus can be used to afford something special which, in the final analysis, you have the impression you have really earned. But with this great pressure of time, do we still have any real capacity to consider what we really want, what our partner or family may want and what would do good for our family lives? Have we enough time left over to enjoy the good things in life? Surely, the more apt question would be “are we willing to take time out for that purpose?” Time passes at the same speed for us all – we simply experience it at different paces depending on the situation in which we happen to be at a particular juncture. Not infrequently, persons who are working under great pressure to perform like to have so many demands on their time that they are not obliged to turn their attention to other matters. 42
They operate on the principle “I perform so I am.” That is why a great many people constantly place excessive demands upon themselves. Vas-y, dépêche-toi!
The manager Being flexible, always willing, always prepared to do everything at the same time – that was the motto by which Mr. B lived for a long time. As the manager of a medium-sized enterprise, he spent a great deal of time abroad, he was always on the road and very flexible. When he was not on the road, his working days in the office regularly stretched out to 14 or even 16 hours. He had given up sport a long time ago because he did not have enough time for that. But he did regularly attend the weekly after-work drink with colleagues. He jetted from city to city, rushed from meeting to meeting, worked on his projects until far into the night and failed even to notice how time was slipping through his fingers, how life was passing him by. For many years he had greatly enjoyed living in this style. He was a highflyer and he liked that. He worked a great deal and also earned a lot of money, what more could he have wanted? But today he was under particular pressure of time because an important business transaction had to be prepared
and at the same time the constant ringing of his mobile phone had repeatedly interrupted him and hundreds of e-mails placed him under such stress that he found it hard to concentrate now. This flood of information deprived him of time and attention and he noticed that this was happening more and more often of late. The mountains of pending items grew higher and higher. For a moment, his thoughts wandered and he asked himself how long it had been since he had visited his parents or taken time out for sports activities. But he did not want to reflect on that, he simply did not have the time. He had to complete his project by tomorrow and some relevant data was still missing. Nowadays, more and more people work at night. Many people also regard Saturday as a normal working day and many even work for their firm on Sunday, frequently from home. Some always have their mobile phone and computer to hand while they are on holiday. Flexibility is writ large in the economy today and with the abolition of time restrictions, a big floodgate has been opened. More and more people do not just have to work 8 hours a day in their company but have targets which can only be achieved by working overtime. 8-, 12- and even 16-hour days are needed to achieve the set goals. The number of people who work more than 45 hours a week and would really like to have a 35-hour-day is growing constantly. The increasing shortage of time is striking. On the one hand, there are people who live increasingly fast and flexibly and have more and more cash but less and less time.
Pour réussir, il suffit de vouloir
info Juni 2010
On the other, there are people who suffer from boredom and do not know how to spend their day. The unemployed Hubert, a 51-year-old bank employee, was unemployed for 6 years. He loved his former job and was a banker with his life and soul. It brought him prestige and plenty of cash. He had more and more money and less and less time. He seldom found the time to visit his parents and certainly could not have founded a family of his own. But now he suddenly had an overabundance of time. After the great shock of redundancy for economic reasons came a phase in which he did not know what to do with so much free and unstructured time. The days crept by and seemed infinitely long. As a person accustomed to a fast pace he did not take kindly to these days on which he had no set task; he could hardly stand it anymore. He found it intolerable to sit at home with nothing to do all day long. He wrote one application after another only to be turned down every time. Although he had excellent training and outstanding professional skills, for years he could not find a new job. During his professional career he had taken many courses in selfmanagement and time management. After he had trained for years to work at a faster and faster pace, the experts were now advising him to slow down and think of other values. He found it really hard to adjust to this complete change: time which once passed by so fast now moved at a snail’s pace. He had gone from shortage to profusion. To begin with, he looked for ways of filling all this leisure time. He spent hour after hour surfing the Internet, chatting and mailing. He became an immoderate consumer of these facilities. The machinery to ward off boredom had gripped him in its iron grasp. But time worked in his favor and he learnt that having time could also be a precious asset. He began to write down the things which motivated him. As time passed, he filled whole books. Later, he found the necessary peace and rest in long hikes out in the mountains. After some time, he began to realize that he was noticing things which he had not previously experienced. He looked at the magnificent natural scenery around him and listened to the harmoinfo Juni 2010
nious song of so many kinds of birds. Suddenly, he was sensitive to the finest sounds and colors of nature, to a whole range of new things which filled him with astonishment. Friendship Anna was getting nervous because her mobile was already playing its familiar tune for the umpteenth time. Was it the 80th or the 100th time today? She did not know. But it seemed to be just another of those days… As was so often the case, she simply could not keep up with her heavy schedule. “Just let me know when you have time to meet up,” was an SMS message from her friend whom she had not seen for months. Time? “I would be only too happy to see my friend again, but where am I to find the time?”, Anna wondered. Time for pleasure, time for a chat, Anna could not imagine how that could be. This was a pure luxury and she had no time at present for luxury, so she simply left the SMS unanswered thinking “I can put it off until later.” A few weeks later, the next SMS came: “Unless you answer immediately I will not be your friend any longer and never again.” That hit home. She consulted her electronic diary and found that in the next month but one she could set up a meeting with her friend, but she would then have to shorten her fitness program drastically. “Good, I’ve done it. The friendship is saved!” But why did she have no more time for all these years? She was constantly running after appointments. In her working day, the pending tray was growing menacingly high and these mountains of documents were stifling her. In her leisure she ran from one appointment to the next. Party political meetings, sports, sleeping, eating and recuperation – everything had to be packed into the ten hours spare time which she still had after her stressful job. She was caught up in this hectic race and felt like a hamster running on a wheel. She ran faster, but the faster she ran the faster the wheel turned. For most people, the time factor is a great challenge. Shortage of time versus boredom. A flood of information versus time to think. Slowing down instead of speeding up. It is always the quantity which counts. Faced with the constant pressure to perform and internal tension,
we must never lose sight of the importance of calm and thoughtful introspection, leisure and creativity. They are the key to balance. In the long-term perspective, a good work-life balance is imperative. Take time. Have time. Time is always what you make of it!
Henriette Brunner NAV Chairperson
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Things to see in Basel, Regio and Interregio – 15th contribution Neuf-Brisach, France
Neuf-Brisach, the Vauban fortress city world cultural heritage site King Louis XIV ordered Vauban to build a fortress city facing Breisach in the years 1698 to 1703. It has been preserved intact and can still be seen today. In its present form, visitors can gain an impression of life inside the city walls in days of old.
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hen Louis XIV consented to the peace of Rijkswijk in the year 1697, he is said to have been guided by Vauban’s calculation that the abandon of Breisach and Freiburg would save money, but called for compensation by the construction of a new bastion on a strategic site facing Breisach. In May 1698, Vauban, who was 44
then 65 years old, visited Alsace to check three different sites for their suitability. On 19 June 1698, he submitted plans for Colmar, Biesheim and what was later to become Neuf-Brisach to the King. He favored the most expensive solution at a planned cost of 4,048,875 pounds. This was to be an impregnable half-moonshaped fortress with strengthened fortifications, bastions that were impossible to scale, good powder stores and a shorter construction time: Neuf-Brisach! The King placed the order as recommended and construction work began without delay. The site was purchased for 38,000 pounds, but the price was not paid in full until 1707… Today, visitors are still astonished by Vauban’s art of planning, design, expres-
sion and speed of construction. The fact that he also took account of human needs can be gathered from his writings. NeufBrisach is a complete city with a town hall, church, barracks, residential houses as well as fountains and a central square. Planning our visit, we decided to drive to Neuf-Brisach by car from Niederbergheim along the Vauban Canal. The sandstone needed to construct Neuf-Brisach was carried along this specially built canal from Rouffach and Pfaffenheim to the building site. Today, this is an idyllic waterway and the old mill can still be seen at the intersection between Hettenschlag and Dessenheim… Our route takes us through the Porte de Bâle (or Basel Gate) inside the fortress city and we have a brief opportunity to info Juni 2010
Background information Neuf-Brisach is situated some 80 km north of Basel and can be reached easily via the French and German motorway networks. Parking spaces are available on the Place d’Armes Général de Gaulle in the city center. The fortress city has a diameter of nearly 2 km so that a complete tour takes some time. A pair of stout walking shoes is strongly recommended to inspect the fortress buildings. For children, this adventure is a great experience, but one which calls for good parental supervision to avoid accidents (there are no barriers on the fortress buildings!). Opening hours Vauban Museum 1 April to 31 October, 10 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 5 pm Closed on Tuesday! Hiking map Les Cartes au 1:50,000 du Club Vosgien Number 6 Colmar/Munster/Hohneck/Gerardmer/les Ballons des Vosges Brochures such as “Auf den Spuren der Geschichte, Geschichte ohne Grenzen Breisach/Neuf-Brisach“ (Sur les traces de l’histoire, patrimoine sans frontières Neuf-Brisach/Breisach) (In the footsteps of history, Neuf-Brisach/Breisach, heritage without borders) with excellent general plans, tours, descriptions and historical data available free of charge from the Tourist Office, 6 Place d’Armes, opposite the church. Important: the bridge over the Rhine links Neuf-Brisach to Breisach, 4 km away. You should always carry your identity documents for this border crossing.
and UNESCO see the system of double ditches with the city walls and half-moon defences in front of them. We are not allowed to stop here. So we drive on to the Place d’Armes/Général de Gaulle where we are able to park our car. On our tour by foot we follow the route indicated in the brochure, past the church, the town hall, the Porte de Belfort, along the outer ditch to the Porte de Colmar and Porte de Strasbourg and back again to the Place d’Armes. After walking through Belfort Gate, we come across a barge dating from the age of the Rhine regulatory works; built to Tulla’s plans, this barge can be seen in the outer ditch. The Breisach artist Hans Lutz has now decorated it as an art object called “Starway” with a number of parts dating from the info Juni 2010
early days of Rhine shipping. It is worth mentioning here that Vauban specifically planned the moat as a dry ditch to avoid illnesses and epidemics caused by standing water. Negligence, rain water and incursions of water from the River Rhine, which were not drained constantly from the ditch, confirmed just how right Vauban had been. Illnesses were the inevitable consequence. Belfort Gate also houses the Vauban Museum which was unfortunately closed on our visit. But the information panels set up at key points give us a good overview and details of the individual features. Between the Porte de Belfort and the Porte de Bâle, the topmost level of the fortress wall has run wild to some extent; but here too details such as iron doors from the construction epoch which document the course of history can still be seen. Walking from Belfort Gate to Colmar Gate via the outer ditch we pass another work by Helmut Lutz, this time the figure of an “Angel” mounted on the topmost
corner of the wall. The Colmar Gate is the only one which still leads into the city through a covered entrance. This entrance was later augmented by additional structures to handle the weaponry used in 1870, but still reveals its classical style as a Vauban structure. In essence, the entire perimeter of Neuf-Brisach fortress can still be admired today. Visitors can walk round the outline of the fortress just as it appears on old scenic views and plans. I hope that our modern conquerors will have an opportunity to visit this fortress city in fine weather and with enough time to discover its principal features. The site is impressive and with a touch of imagination you can still hear the soldiers pacing the streets or the sounds of guests in the Bacchus Inn which no longer exists today…
Peter Bernauer
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