Brussels, 05/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On 4 January, the Swiss Enterprise Federation called for a “safeguard clause” or “protection clause” in the event of excessively strong flows of immigration but did not wish to undermine the principle of free movement with the EU. The government has the task of translating the results from the vote on 9 February 2014 into law and which calls for quotas on foreign workers to be introduced by 2017. The president of the employers' organisation, Heinz Karrer, asserted that “such a regulation seeks to encourage companies to promote the employment of Swiss citizens, without having to resort to the protection clause”. Almost a third of the workers in some economic sectors are from abroad. Karrer said that “in an effort to avoid any conflict with EU contracts, this will seek to set a possible intervention threshold every year, depending on migratory flows and the situation in the labour market”. He added that “below this limit, immigration will be allowed in compliance with the provisions contained in the agreements concluded with the EU”. (SP)