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Paternity leave initiative moves closer to public vote in Switzerland

A popular initiative calling for 20 days paternity leave for fathers has gathered the required number of signatures to push it to a referendum.

Published: 5 June 2017 10:05 CEST
Paternity leave initiative moves closer to public vote in Switzerland
Photo: photobac/Depositphotos
The initiative ‘For a reasonable paternity leave – in favour of all the family’ was launched a year ago by four organizations: labour group Travail Suisse, feminist umbrella organization Alliance F, men’s group männer.ch and Pro Familia Suisse. 
 
On Saturday Travail Suisse said the initiative had gathered 120,000 signatures, more than enough to push it to a public vote. 
 
The initiative calls for fathers in Switzerland to get 20 days statutory paternity leave to take in a flexible manner within the first year of their baby’s life.
 
It would be financed through the system of deductions used to finance maternity and other kinds of leave, such as military service.
 
Switzerland currently has no statutory paternity leave, with most fathers only allowed to take one ‘family day’ of leave upon the birth of their child.
 
 
A 2015 report by Travail Suisse found that more than half of workers employed in the private sector only get one day off after a child is born.
 
Some companies do offer more, but the report found that only three percent of fathers were eligible for more than ten days paternity leave. 
 
Parliament has frequently rejected calls to legislate for increased paternity leave, since the idea is not supported by the political right who feel it's not necessary to legislate on the matter at federal level.
 
In a statement, Travail Suisse said the idea of paternity leave had been rejected by parliament 30 times in the past decade.
 
According to a 2015 survey undertaken by the group, more than 80 percent of Swiss voters would be favourable to the idea of paternity leave. 
 
“A single day of paternity leave no longer meets the needs of families today,” said the group. 
 
“The model of 20 days with flexibility is a reasonable solution and therefore typically Swiss.”
 
 
As well as being good for families, it is good for managers too, since it allows fathers to negotiate with their workplace to find a suitable time to take paternity leave that works for both parties, it added.
 
Statutory paternity leave would also level the playing field between large companies – some of which already have the means to offer increased paternity leave – and small businesses, which do not.
 
Hailing the success of the initiative so far, its campaign director and Travail Suisse president Adrian Wüthrich said he was “proud” to be able to lodge this initiative for paternity leave after just one year of campaigning. 
 
The signatures will be registered with the federal chancellery this summer. 
 
If declared valid, the initiative would then be put to the Swiss public in a referendum.
 
Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, anyone can create a so-called popular initiative which must gather 100,000 signatures within 18 months in order to push it to a referendum.
 
 
Switzerland currently lags behind other European countries on the issue of paternity leave.
 
The EU average is 12.5 days, though some countries such as Sweden allow far more through shared parental leave policies.
 
Mothers in Switzerland are entitled to 14 weeks paid maternity leave.
 
 

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FAMILY

What are Switzerland’s rules on taking your children out of school during term time?

Does Switzerland allow parents to take children out of school so they can go on holiday?

Published: 2 August 2023 16:22 CEST
Updated: 16 February 2024 15:16 CET
What are Switzerland's rules on taking your children out of school during term time?

Flights and hotels are usually a lot cheaper at off-peak times when schools are not on holiday, and there are fewer traffic jams. 

It’s no wonder then that families would ideally rather travel a few days before school holidays begin – or come back just after the term starts. 

It can also sometimes be the case that a vacation to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding abroad, is planned during a school term. 

So what happens if your child misses a day or two – or even longer – of classes to go on holiday with the family? Is removing your child from lessons allowed in Switzerland?

It depends where you live…

Some common sense is required here. It simply won’t fly to take your child out of lessons without telling anyone, or keeping them off school with no good reason for a longer period of time.

But when it comes to the finer details – as with most things in Switzerland – it comes down to where your child goes to school.

According to reports in Swiss media site Blick, only a few cantons impose hefty fines on families who take their child out of school without a good reason. 

In some places, it is actually legal to take children out of school for two or three days without a reason – although you do of course have to let the school know. 

Let’s look at Zurich as an example. The canton says: “Each student has two additional and freely selectable vacation days per year. Parents also have the option of requesting an exemption for their child.”

READ ALSO: When do kids in Switzerland go back to school after summer?

The extra time off is called ‘Jokertage’ (joker days). It means that students can be absent from classes for two days per school year – without having to give any reasons.

“Parents do not have to apply for this absence,” the canton says. “It is sufficient to inform the teacher or the school management.”

If a half day is taken, it counts as a full day, and unused extra days can’t be carried over to the next school year.

Classroom

An empty classroom. Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay

“The school communities have the right to refuse the use of extra days on certain school occasions – these include, for example, visiting days or sports days,” says the canton.

If parents want to take their child out of school at other times (not including sickness), Zurich says there need to be “important reasons” for the absence.

These include things like preparation for important cultural or sporting events, trial apprenticeships or “extraordinary events in the personal environment of the students”.

“The school administration is required to consider personal, family and school circumstances when approving exemptions,” says the canton.

What’s the situation in other parts of Switzerland?

The cantons of Thurgau and Appenzell Ausserrhoden also have two ‘wildcard’ days available for kids, reports Blick. However, in Thurgau all absences, whether excused or not, are noted on children’s report cards.

Bern allows pupils five additional half-days. They can be registered with the class teacher in advance without having to give a reason.

In the canton of St. Gallen, there are only two extra half days available for kids. But in the city of St. Gallen, no additional vacation extensions are permitted. According to the city, requests for this are rejected. For each missed school day without a valid reason, parents have to pay 200 francs per school half-day, which increases to 1,000 francs if it happens repeatedly. 

READ MORE: 5 things you never knew about Switzerland’s school system

In Aargau, a half-day off is allowed per school year. If children are absent from school for more than three days without an excuse, they face the highest fine for these kinds of cases in Switzerland: 600 to 1,000 francs per day, and 1,000 to 2,000 francs in repeated cases, as well as a criminal charge in extreme situations. 

Although there are no special days off for children in the canton of Solothurn, parents can submit requests for vacation extensions. But fines of up to 1,000 francs can be imposed for truancy.

In Geneva, parents have to send a request to the school at least 15 days in advance stating the reasons for the planned absence, which can be granted or refused. The canton says that unexcused absences or absences for which the reason is not recognised as valid “may result in pedagogical intervention or disciplinary action”. Families can also face fines. 

The canton of Vaud says that requests for leave of absence during school time “must be made in writing to the school management, stating the reasons for the request”. However, education authorities point out that reasons of “personal convenience do not justify the granting of individual leave, unless an exceptional request is duly justified”.

In Basel-City, schools recognise extended family vacations. In kindergarten, up to five extra days off per school year are possible, in primary and secondary school two days per school year. Parents have to inform the school, but don’t need to provide further justification. 

Please note that this article, as with all our articles, is a guide only and if you are considering taking your child out of school during term time, the best thing to do is check the rules in the area where you live and talk to the school management.

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