On 27 September 2020, Swiss voters have many decisions to make. The list of referenda is long and includes decisions on fighter jets, ending the free movement of people between Switzerland and the EU, hunting and tax deductions for child care. Another is a decision on whether to accept a proposal to grant fathers two […]
Referendum calling for 4 weeks paternity leave withdrawn
The group behind the popular vote demanding four weeks (20 days) of paternity leave has decided to withdraw its initiative and to accept the government’s counter proposal of two weeks (10 days), according to RTS. From 2021, fathers of newborns will qualify for two weeks of paid paternity leave. Currently there is no paid leave […]
Swiss upper house rejects parental leave plan
Switzerland’s government been grappling with the politics of extending universal tax-funded parental leave for a number of years. Some are pushing for paternity leave for fathers and others for a shared pool of parental leave, which mums and dads can apportion. There is also a popular vote working its way through the system which aims […]
Swiss upper house in favour of two weeks paternity leave
Recently, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, voted 26 to 16 in favour of two weeks of paternity leave following the birth of a child, according to 20 Minutes. At the same time, the Council of States rejected the idea of four weeks of paternity leave by 29 to 14. Paternity leave has become […]
Swiss federal government against tax funded paternity leave
Recently, Switzerland’s Federal Council voiced its opposition to an initiative to create universal paid leave for the fathers of newborns, according to the newspaper Le Matin. The initiative, which aims to introduce 20 days of paid paternity leave and which collected the required number of signatures to go ahead in 2017, has encountered further resistance in Bern. […]
International Women’s Day – discontent with Switzerland’s childcare system
Since 1911, when people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland came out in support of equal rights, 8 March has been International Women’s Day. A survey by Ispos on the event’s website gives insights into attitudes towards gender equality around the world. Some areas, like whether it’s easier to be a man, are controversial and show […]
Swiss government commission favours parental leave over paternity leave
Switzerland lags behind most european countries on financial support aimed at easing the challenges of combining work with starting a family. An initiative, which aims to introduce 20 days of paid paternity leave to make it easier for fathers to help at home when their children are young, is being discussed in Bern, but no […]
Swiss study recommends 38 weeks of parental leave
A referendum calling for four weeks of paternity leave is currently working it’s way through the system. This week, a government commission gave its verdict on the vote, recommending two weeks of paternity leave instead of the four set out in the referendum’s text. Their commission’s main concerns are centred on the impact on companies […]
Paternity leave plan rejected by Switzerland’s executive
Yesterday, Switzerland’s Federal Council rejected an initiative proposing paid paternity leave, and it recommends parliament do the same. It thinks the estimated CHF 420 million cost is too high. It also fears the proposed hike in social security tax (APG) to fund it, could hurt the economy. The plan, which will be put to a […]
Swiss initiative to grant more paternity leave given official green light
20 Minutes. The 100,000 signature mark required to launch a popular vote was reached in June 2017. Yesterday the Swiss Federal Chancellery validated 107,075 of the 107,455 signatures collected completing the first significant official milestone. The initiative is demanding four weeks of paid leave for fathers, to be taken within the first year of the […]