Next Sunday, Swiss citizens will have to vote on the introduction of universal minimum wage in the amount of CHF 4,000 (€3,275) a month. Launched by the USS-UGB union confederation and supported by the socialist and green parties, the initiative notes that 330,000 Swiss employees, i.e. 9 percent of the active population, receive monthly earnings that are much lower than this limit and have to request State aid to get to the end of the month. The latest major survey on the subject found that 64 percent of respondents reject the idea of universal minimum wage. Still, social dumping is a rising issue that worries the Federal State. In retail trade, the first joint pay monitoring committee has just been set up.
On Sunday, May 18, Swiss employees will have to vote for the introduction of basic monthly pay in the amount of CHF 4,000 (€3,300), i.e. CHF 22/hour (€18) for 42 hours a week. “A wealthy country like Switzerland has too many low-paid workers,” declared the Swiss Union Confederation (USS), which initiated the referendum, referring to official figures. It listed 330,000 employees (9 percent of the active population) earning less than CHF 4,000/month, which is a bit much in a country where the cost of living is one of the highest in the world.
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