Assistance and benefits for OCST-affiliated cross-border workers

Context

TL;DR

• OCST provides assistance with employment, payslips and taxation
• The Cross-Border Workers Office handles tax law and social security
• AVS, LADI and LPP are covered by the advisory service
• The offers involve a form, code, card or insurer

Key facts

OCST services are provided according to specific regulations. The page dedicated to the association presents a range of services that, for cross-border workers, begins with the employment relationship and extends to cross-border tax and social issues.

For cross-border workers, the list brings together workplace support, social information and benefits reserved for female and male OCST members.

The scope of assistance

The first level is legal assistance and/or advice. It concerns issues relating to the employment relationship and payroll, but also includes the social insurance schemes AVS, AI, LADI and LPP. The same area covers illness and accidents, family allowances, taxation and tenancy. For a cross-border worker, the list therefore brings together several areas of advice.

Support is provided for strike actions, as are contributions for training. Access to these services is governed by specific regulations, which members must consult to verify the conditions.

The Cross-Border Workers' Office

Assistance for cross-border workers includes advice and information on cross-border tax law, social security, occupational pensions, social insurance, work permits, family allowances and unemployment benefits. The services also include coverage, at the member’s expense, of the costs of emergency hospitalisation in the event of illness and free membership in CISL.

This support is complemented by the presence of patronato offices: INAS operates at the OCST offices in Chiasso, Mendrisio, Bioggio and Locarno, while ACLI is present at the Lugano office. Both are affiliated with the trade union.

The picture is completed by regular information meetings, the newspaper «il Lavoro», the OCST website, the current-affairs newsletter and the Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels. For special offers, the procedure differs: in some cases, a form must be requested via the form; in others, the possibility must be reported to one’s insurer. This distinction, already indicated on the page, determines the first step for using the benefit.

Operational details

For a cross-border worker affiliated with OCST, the practical value of the benefits depends on the channel specified for obtaining them. The page alternates among a form, notification to one's insurer, a card and a promotional code. This distinction prevents treating a discount as automatic when it instead requires a specific step.

One method for each offer

In the insurance sector, a 10% discount is indicated on private liability, household contents, building insurance and motor vehicle insurance, along with a free pension analysis and personalized advice. This is followed by 10% off selected supplementary insurance policies and 9% off some complementary insurance policies. For labor, 10% off is indicated, with a replacement vehicle included throughout Switzerland; for work covered by insurance, a voucher of 250 fr. toward the contractual deductible is mentioned; the «Prendi e vai» subscription provides 20%, not combinable.

In the travel sector, the source lists 15€ for flights, 20€ for hotels, 40€ for the flight+hotel combination and 4% on gift cards. At MUSEC in Lugano, admission is 10 CHF rather than 15 CHF, with 20% off selected bookshop items.

Conditions to read

Among the establishments, Old Wild West in Mendrisio indicates 15% off the total bill, not combinable with other promotions; Pizzarella-Burgerella applies 10% on site, with no home delivery, while for home delivery it indicates a complimentary drink per order. Brico SA, Ristorante Elvezia 31 and Pescheria Lawrence indicate 10% upon presentation of the OCST card.

For the bank account, opening is 100% online with the OCST promotional code through the OCST contact person; the source also indicates no fee linked to residence abroad. The list includes five years of package fees free, one free year on Mastercard silver and, in another entry, one year free on packages. The 20% «Prendi e vai» and Old Wild West's 15% cannot be combined.

Key points

The operating procedure starts with the subject matter and ends with the channel indicated for the benefit. To avoid unforeseen steps, the member can follow a sequence based on the methods described on the page.

1. Identify the service

The first choice is to distinguish legal advice from the commercial agreement. For issues concerning employment relationships, payslips, AVS, AI, LADI, LPP, illness, accidents, family allowances, taxation or tenancy, the page places the matter under legal and juridical assistance and/or advice. If the issue concerns cross-border tax law, social security, occupational pension provision, work permits or unemployment benefits, the indicated reference is the Cross-Border Workers' Office. Subsidies for strike action and training contributions are among the listed services and follow specific regulations.

2. Submit the correct request

For special offers, use the form to request the application form. The page indicates this in several places, so the form is the step to follow when the agreement requires it. For insurance coverage, the indicated procedure is different: notify your insurer of the possibility. The channel specified by the offer should not be replaced with a generic one.

3. Apply the card or code

For Brico SA, Ristorante Elvezia 31, Old Wild West di Mendrisio, Pizzarella-Burgerella and Pescheria Lawrence, the source indicates presenting the OCST card. For Masa Coffee, the discount code is «OCST». For the bank account, the OCST promotional code is available from the OCST contact person; opening takes place 100% online through the CA and OCST - Corporate partner offer. These are different operating methods and must be kept separate.

4. Check timing and access points

For the admission ticket, the indicated condition is a 15% discount until December 23 and 20% on Tuesdays, for OCST members and three accompanying persons. For an assistance case, the local contacts are Patronato INAS at the OCST offices in Chiasso, Mendrisio, Bioggio and Locarno, and Patronato ACLI at the Lugano office. To stay up to date, the page lists periodic meetings, «il Lavoro», the website, newsletter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The same criterion applies to the other benefits: the cross-border worker can consult the specific offer before choosing whether to request the form or use the code. The source links each benefit to the relevant partner and the indicated method. For taxation and payslips, find out more with calcolatore fiscale.

Source: ocst.ch