A proposal by trade unions to increase holiday entitlement from four to six weeks has met with opposition by the business community, most parties and the cabinet.
Voters will have the final say on the initiative in a nationwide ballot on March 11. The Travail Suisse umbrella group is supported by the Trade Union Federation and centre-left parties.
Increased productivity and more stress at the workplace justify more holidays for employees to recover, according to the unions.
“Working life is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Martin Flügel, president of Travail Suisse.
Under increasing stress and facing a working life of more than 40 years on average, many employees fall ill and do not reach the regular retirement age, according to Flügel.
He adds that the costs of the heavier workload, notably overtime, amount to SFr10 billion ($10.7 billion) a year.
Supporters say the current regulations from 1984 are outdated and not family-friendly enough, making calls for extra holidays very popular, according to a recent opinion poll.
The unions believe the measure would cost the economy an additional SFr6.8 million – manageable as it would be spread over six years.
Source & More: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/march_11_vote/Benefits_of_extra_holiday_debated_ahead_of_vote_.html?cid=31976010
This is pretty damn nice.
I'm jelly Switzerland.
Voters will have the final say on the initiative in a nationwide ballot on March 11. The Travail Suisse umbrella group is supported by the Trade Union Federation and centre-left parties.
Increased productivity and more stress at the workplace justify more holidays for employees to recover, according to the unions.
“Working life is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Martin Flügel, president of Travail Suisse.
Under increasing stress and facing a working life of more than 40 years on average, many employees fall ill and do not reach the regular retirement age, according to Flügel.
He adds that the costs of the heavier workload, notably overtime, amount to SFr10 billion ($10.7 billion) a year.
Supporters say the current regulations from 1984 are outdated and not family-friendly enough, making calls for extra holidays very popular, according to a recent opinion poll.
The unions believe the measure would cost the economy an additional SFr6.8 million – manageable as it would be spread over six years.
Source & More: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/march_11_vote/Benefits_of_extra_holiday_debated_ahead_of_vote_.html?cid=31976010
This is pretty damn nice.
I'm jelly Switzerland.
