Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WORKING IN SWITZERLAND

Jobs to renting: Who do you lodge official complaints with in Switzerland?

Most people don’t encounter any major problems in the way they are treated in Switzerland. But if that is not your case, you have a right to seek recourse.

Published: 5 February 2024 15:33 CET
Jobs to renting: Who do you lodge official complaints with in Switzerland?
In case of legitimate grievances, you can file your complaints online. Photo: Pixabay

Swiss law mandates fairness and equality in how its residents are treated in public and private sphere.

This means that nobody, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or religion, should put up with any kind of abusive or unjust behaviour.

But if you encounter such treatment nevertheless, you can lodge official complaints.

Employment

If you are a victim of inappropriate behaviour at your workplace — for instance, bullying, sexual harassment, or any other practices that are either unlawful or unacceptable — you should not remain silent.

The first step is to take your case to the Human Resources department, whose personnel is trained in handling, and resolving, conflicts.

If that doesn’t help, other recourses are available as well.

For instance, if you are represented by a union or a professional association, you should take your grievances there.

Hopefully, you will not need to go any further but if you do, your last resort would be legal action, which would start with your local district court and go to higher courts from there, if necessary.

READ ALSO: What you should know about Switzerland’s courts 

Most disputes, however, are resolved through other means, like mediation, and don’t end up in court.

Racial discrimination

If you feel that your employer or co-workers are discriminating against you based on your nationality, ethnicity, or religion, you can take one more step in addition to the ones mentioned above.

You can report racially-based incidents to the Federal Commission Against Racism  (FCR) through their online platform.

Housing

Most complaints you may have concerning your rented dwellings can be resolved (hopefully amicably) with your landlord or the management agency.

If that doesn’t work, however, you can turn to your canton’s conciliation authority — for instance, Schlichtungsbehörden in Zurich, Staatliche Schlichtungsstelle für Mietstreitigkeiten in Basel, Commission de conciliation en matière de baux et loyers in Geneva, and Conciliation en matière de bail à loyer immobilier in Vaud. 

Also, tenants’ associations in your linguistic region may be able to help out:

Mieterinnen- und Mieterverband Deutschschweiz

Association suisse des locataires ASLOCA

Associazione Svizzera Inquilini

If you suspect that your landlord is discriminating you on the basis of your nationality, ethnic background or religion, you can take the same steps as the ones described above in case of employment — report it to  the FCR.

Insurance disputes

If you file a claim for reimbursement with any of your insurance providers, but they reject it for what you consider to be an invalid or arbitrary reason, you have a right to dispute this decision.

You can file a complaint with the office of theThe Swiss Ombudsman of Private Insurance.

Its team of attorneys will review your case and get you the refund — if it is found to be justified.

Problems with your bank

If you are in a dispute with your financial institution which cannot be resolved amicably, you have two solutions.

One, to take your money out and find a friendlier bank.

Or two, just as is the case with the insurance disputes (above), you can seek resolution from the Banking Ombudsman. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

MONEY

Do adult children in Switzerland have to support their parents financially?

Usually, it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure their kids are well taken care of financially. But can Swiss authorities force the children to return the favour in times of need?

Published: 30 April 2024 15:31 CEST
Do adult children in Switzerland have to support their parents financially?

In most cases, once children are grown up and out of the house, they are (or at least should be) self-sufficient in terms of finances.

Parents too should breathe a sigh of relief that they are no longer obligated to pay for their children’s expenses, except perhaps for giving them some money here and there as a gift.

This is what happens in the best-case scenario.

But what if things don’t go according to this plan — for instance, if the parents find themselves in financial straits and can’t  afford to pay their bills?

Family obligations

Generally speaking, the truly needy people who don’t have enough income to pay for their basic living expenses will receive financial help from the government, in the very least in the form of the health insurance and housing subsidy.

READ ALSO: Can I get financial help in Switzerland if I’m struggling to pay the bills?

However, before doling out public money, authorities will see whether relatives should be made to help the struggling individuals pay their bills.

(In this context, ‘relatives’ means only those in the direct line of descent: grandparents, parents, and children.)

They will do it by checking the tax status of these relatives — how much they earn and what other financial assets they have — to determine whether, and how much, they should be paying toward their parents’ expenses.

Obviously, you will be expected to pay up only if your own financial situation allows it; you will not be forced to part with your money if you have very little of it yourself.

 ‘Favourable financial circumstaces’

Based on a Federal Court ruling, if the adult child  lives in ‘favourable financial circumstances’ they are required to help out their struggling parents.

The Court defined ‘favourable financial circumstances’ as income and assets allowing a comfortable life.

‘Comfortable life’, in turn, was defined by the Swiss Conference for Social Welfare (SKOS), as a taxable annual income of 120,000 francs for a single person, and 180,000 francs for married couples.

“If you have minors in your household, the limit is increased by 20,000 francs per child,” according to AXA insurance.

It goes on to say that you can deduct an exempt amount from your taxable assets.

“Your annual depletion of assets is deducted from the remaining amount. This means that if you are obligated to provide financial support, you are permitted to use part of your assets yourself each year; you don’t have to devote your entire assets to providing support.”

At between 18 and 30 years of age, this is 1/60th per year; from 31 to 40, 1/50th per year; 41 to 50, 1/40th per year; 51 to 60, 1/30th per year; and from the age of 61,1/20th per year. 

Are there any exemptions to these rules?

Aside from not having sufficient funds, you could be exempted from paying if, say, your parents, or parent, have not lived up to their own financial obligations toward you.

In Switzerland, parents are required to  provide financially for their children until the age of majority, and even beyond that if they are still studying or undergoing vocational training — typically, until the mid-20s.

SHOW COMMENTS