Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

Swiss supermarkets pay ‘corona bonuses’ to all staff members

Swiss supermarket chains Migros and Coop have paid out bonuses of up to CHF500 each to their employees as a thank you for working through the coronavirus lockdown.

Published: 26 May 2020 17:27 CEST
Swiss supermarkets pay ‘corona bonuses’ to all staff members
A man with a Swiss flag supermarket bag in Lausanne. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Unlike previously, the bonuses will be paid out as cash rather than vouchers. 

All employees who have worked during the crisis will receive the bonus. 

READ: How Swiss supermarkets are using sensors to ensure social distancing

Those who worked between 50 and 100 percent of full-time hours will receive a 500 franc bonus. 

Employees who worked between 1 and 50 percent of full-time hours will instead receive 250 francs. 

The bonus is to be paid “in recognition of the extraordinary effort and great performances shown during the lockdown period”. 

READ: Swiss supermarket launches free delivery service for 'at risk' groups 

It is not the first bonus that the employees have received, with Swiss supermarket workers given gift cards in April. 

Supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have already paid out bonuses to their staff, however these are worth between CHF350 and CHF400 and are given as vouchers. 

Member comments

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

HEALTH INSURANCE

Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

The Swiss health system is ranked among the best in the world, but some essentials, like glasses, aren't automatically covered by health insurance. That could soon change, however

Published: 16 May 2024 15:06 CEST
Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

Green Party Federal Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber revealed in an interview with newspaper 20 Minuten this week that the Federal Parliament had tabled a motion to include prescription glasses and contact lenses in Switzerland’s mandatory health insurance scheme. 

Prelicz-Huber stated: “The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,”

The motion forms part of the legislation that will be voted on during the 2024 summer session of the Federal Council. 

Proposed changes 

According to Switzerland’s peak optician body, 4 in 5 Swiss wear glasses or contact lenses at some point. 

It’s no surprise that statistics repository, Statista, projects the Swiss eyewear industry to be worth €1.37 billion by 2028. 

Currently, glasses and contact lenses are covered for up to 180 francs for children until age eighteen, if they are proscribed by a doctor.

Adults can also claim money back for glasses and contact lenses – however, they must be suffering from one of a short list of specific conditions such as keratoconus – where the cornea is distorted – or severe myopia, otherwise known as near-sightedness.

They must also have been specifically prescribed them by a doctor or optometrist. 

Otherwise, supplemental optical insurance must be purchased in Switzerland to ensure you can recoup the cost. 

Under the Green Party proposal, glasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids would be covered, regardless of age. 

Rising premiums prompt opposition 

Not everybody agrees with the proposal. 

The right-wing SVP has already spoken out against it, with Federal Councillor Diana Gutjahr arguing: “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.”

A spokesman for the the health insurance advocacy group Santesuisse, Matthias Müller, echoed Gutjahr, claiming that insurance constitutes “financing for extraordinary events such as illness.”

“If almost everyone benefits from a certain service, it is no longer an insurance benefit.”

A date for the vote has yet to be announced. 

SHOW COMMENTS