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THE WEEK IN SWITZERLAND

Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

Sunday shop openings and upcoming train schedule disruptions in the Basel region are among the Swiss news The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Published: 15 March 2024 14:24 CET
Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week
Freelancing is a win-win situation both for employers and workers. Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

What will upcoming Swiss-EU negotiations focus on?

Switzerland and the European Union have a negotiation plan at last, with talks expected to begin later in March.

The main issues that Bern and Brussels need to agree on are, among others, immigration of EU citizens to Switzerland, wage protection, as well as the continued electricity supply from the EU.

But other issues are at stake as well.

READ ALSO: What does Switzerland want from the EU? 

Will Swiss shops open on Sunday?

Many foreign nationals complain that Sunday is a ‘dead’ day in Switzerland, because stores are closed and silence reigns.

But despite opposition from trade unions, the National Council accepted a motion to modify the current legislation, so that it would allow a limited number of retailers to open their doors for business on the seventh day of the week.

READ ALSO : Is Sunday shopping about to become reality in Switzerland?

Freelancers are in high demand on Swiss job market

Employers in Switzerland are increasingly seeking to hire freelancers and temp workers.

The demand for both has grown by 23 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

This trend is good for employers, who don’t have to invest money into the training of ‘fixed’ workers, and for job seekers as well, because they like the advantages of non-permanent work options.

READ ALSO: Why freelance and temp workers are in high demand in Switzerland right now

Train travel in the Basel area will be derailed in the near future

Extensive expansion and maintenance work of the railway infrastructure will disrupt operations in and around one of Switzerland’s main train hubs.

Some trains in the region might be cancelled, while others delayed in the coming weeks, according to Swiss national railways, SBB; which recommends that commuters check travel updates on the company’s website, here, before purchasing tickets for their trip.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about rail disruption in Basel this spring

Swiss mountains can be deadly

Switzerland’s Alps are beautiful and offer numerous sports and leisure opportunities, but they also have been known to claim the lives of skiers and hikers.

Just days ago, a group of Swiss cross-country skiers had disappeared high in the Alps amid bad weather; while five were found dead the next day,  the sixth is still missing but search for her has been suspended

READ ALSO: Why do the Swiss Alps claim so many lives? 

And also:

If you would like to spend summer months in Switzerland, listening to some great multi-genre music, you have plenty of choices:

READ ALSO: Eight music festivals in Switzerland you can’t miss this year

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For members

THE WEEK IN SWITZERLAND

Six big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

The slowness of Switzerland's trains and salaries of foreign workers are among the Swiss news The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Published: 17 May 2024 11:16 CEST
Six big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

Swiss trains are on time, but slowly

Although Switzerland has a punctual and efficient train system, it is also the slowest in Europe.

The existing infrastructure is not adapted to faster trains, because it is not a top priority for the national railway company (SBB) or the Federal Office of Transport, both of which favour reliability and quality of service over speed.

They also prefer to focus on developing a dense network; this means trains can’t travel fast as they have to make frequent stops at all stations.

READ ALSO: Why are Swiss trains the slowest in Europe?

Are foreign workers in Switzerland underpaid?

Many people think so, but it turns out that highly-qualified foreign nationals employed in managerial roles not only earn as much as their Swiss counterparts, but sometimes even more.
 
This is what emerges from an analysis of data released by the Federal Statistical Office.

It indicates that wages of  B, C, and G-permit holders often exceed those earned by Swiss citizens employed in equivalent positions.

READ ALSO: In which jobs in Switzerland do foreign workers earn more than the Swiss?

Could Switzerland be ready to recognise non-binary status?

Switzerland recognises only two genders: male and female.

But what about people who don’t identify as either?

After a non-binary person, Nemo, who is from Switzerland, won the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend, questions  are arising about the country’s readiness to start registering a third gender in the civil status register.

Such a change, however, would require numerous adaptations of the Constitution, as well as federal and cantonal laws.

READ ALSO: Could Switzerland officially recognise a third gender status?

Knife attack leaves several injured 

A 43-year-old Spaniard, attacked people on the streets of Zofingen with several knives on Wednesday night before being arrested.

In a statement, the public prosecutor’s office for the canton of Aargau said the man “probably inflicted wounds on himself and, according to initial findings, displays abnormal psychological behaviour.”

Prosecutors added that there was “no evidence of a terrorist motive” and that an investigation “for multiple attempted murders” was opened.

Armed with “sharpened or pointed” metal weapons, the attacker first lashed out at a passer-by at the railway station in the town of 12,000 people, about 60 kilometres (38 miles) west of Zurich, police said.

He then wounded several people seemingly at random before entering a house, police added.

READ ALSO: Man wounds six in knife attacks in Swiss town

Health insurance may pay for glasses and contact lenses

Right now, some complementary plans cover part of the cost of eyeglasses, but the obligatory insurance (KVG / LaMAL) doesn’t.

However, a parliamentary motion seeks to change that.

“The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,” said Green Party MP Katharina Prelicz-Huber.”

This issue will be debated during the summer session to begin on May 27, but it already faces some ipposition from a right-wing Swiss People Party,  which argues that “if we seriously want to slow down the burdensome and constantly rising health costs for the benefit of the population, we [must] show the political will not to constantly expand the benefits of compulsory health insurance.”

READ ALSO: Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?
 
Where in Switzerland do the motorists need to play toll?

While the motorway vignette replaces the obligation to pay toll on most Switzerland’s roads, a few Alpine tunnels still require drivers to pay a fee.

However, despite some recent media speculation, the Federal Council has opposed the idea of introducing further tolls on the Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels, since both are public roads already funded by taxpayers’ money.

Instead, other strategies are currently being explored to combat the ongoing problem of traffic congestion o those much-frequented roads.

READ ALSO: The roads and tunnels in Switzerland where drivers need to pay a toll 

And also:

If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolken’s “Lord of the Rings,” you may be interested to know it was inspired by the author’s visit, in 1911, to a village of Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland.

Tourists are still swarming the picturesque village, which prompted local officials to suggest imposing ‘entry fee’ ranging from 5 to 10 francs on visitors arriving by car:

READ ALSO: Stunning Swiss village plans to charge visitors to experience ‘Middle Earth

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