Switzerland: draft federal legislation en route for adoption that looks to offer caregivers two paid leave periods

On 04 December, Switzerland’s second legislature house, the Council of States, followed the example of its first, the National Council that on 23 September adopted draft legislation to ‘improve the balance between professional life and caring for loved ones’. The text adopted by Council of States intends for two separate leave periods for caregivers. The first period consists of 14 weeks of paid leave to look after seriously ill or injured children. This leave has to be taken within 18 months of the first compensated day and either in one continuous lot or spread over several days. Compensation will be 80% of average income and paid on a per diem basis. If both parents are working, the text clarifies that ‘each parent has the right of a maximum of seven weeks and can share the leave allocations in various ways.’ The second period is paid by the employer and covers a shorter period that can be used for those taking care of family members (parents, children, parents-in-law, siblings), and partners (having at least five years together). This leave can be up to ten days per annum (subject to a maximum of three days per absence). Both of the Federal Chambers still have to resolve some minor divergent provisions before the text is definitively adopted, and with this looking highly likely, final adoption should quickly follow.