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In the past few days, bourgeois parties and business have tried to agree on the revision of occupational pensions at a second meeting. Because there is a lot at stake: the bourgeoisie want to stop the redistribution from young to old in occupational pensions. And in the election year, the parties don’t want to disappoint.
Women in particular expect an improvement in their pension situation. The citizens promised this in the run-up to the AHV vote. So much for the intent.
But influential associations swerve – the farmers’ association and the trade association. Significantly, you didn’t even show up for the meeting in question.
The reasons of the associations
Markus Ritter, President of the Farmers’ Association, did not want to comment further publicly. Farmers occasionally employ people in the low-wage sector. The additional taxes would hurt the farmers.
And Hans-Ulrich Bigler, President of the trade association, argues: In the end, it must also be right for the trade. There are red lines for wage costs. Above all, the association rejects the more generous variant of the Council of States, but would be willing to accept the version of the National Council. But here’s the problem. It was not for nothing that the Council of States fought for a bill that was more generous than the bill in the National Council.
For good reason: in the end, the citizens have to win a referendum. Because the referendum of the left-wing parties and the trade unions is already almost certain. Going up against them will not be easy either way: the unions are powerful and the bill is complicated; relevant messages are not easy to convey.
The commoners’ dilemma
The bourgeois parties are therefore in a quandary: if they make too many concessions to their associations, it will be even more difficult to present them to the people. If they stay close to the more generous version of the Council of States, the support of the two aforementioned associations is lacking. The proposal could even fall through in Parliament in the final vote.
So what to do? Behind the scenes, the wires are likely to run hot. Some talks are probably waiting for both the President of the Farmers’ Association, Markus Ritter, and the President of the Trade Association, Hans-Ulrich Bigler.
In the end, the skeptical associations will probably be accommodated, but probably not in the maximum version. It remains to be seen whether the two associations will then be satisfied and join the other business associations. Hans-Ulrich Bigler signaled at least a little mobility.