Tempers are flaring in Bern over how to implement Switzerland’s initiative on nursing care, reported RTS this week.
Following a successful vote (approved by 61% of voters) in 2021 to improve life for nurses, Switzerland’s federal government has put forward a package of measures aimed at improving nurses’ working conditions, including shorter hours and better compensation for work on public holidays. But a committee of the National Council has branded the proposals too expensive and wants to water them down.
The left accuses the centre-right majority of disregarding the mandate handed down by voters. The text adopted from the vote obliges the federal government and the cantons to ensure the training of a sufficient number of qualified nurses. A first law to that effect is already in force.
Yet the initiative also called for better working conditions. To meet that demand, the government drafted a second bill—one that has run into stiffer resistance. The proposal seeks to make the profession more attractive by, among other things, cutting the maximum working week from 50 to 45 hours. Normal weekly hours would be set at between 40 and 42. Work on Sundays and public holidays would have to be compensated with time off and a pay premium of at least 50%.
That ambition has alarmed the centre-right majority. While the bill allows social partners to negotiate collective agreements and permits exceptions where necessary, critics say the safeguards do not go far enough. The parliamentary committee has therefore rewritten key provisions. It would keep the maximum working week unchanged, fix normal hours at 42, and halve the proposed holiday premium to 25%.
The bill has yet to be debated by the full National Council, Switzerland’s federal parliament, and will then pass to the Council of States. Further amendments remain possible at each stage. Whether the final law will live up to voters’ expectations is still an open question.
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