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The initiators promise that the pension initiative should lead to secure and sustainable retirement provision. Wrong, say the opponents: the initiative is one-sided and anti-social. The vote on March 3rd is leading to a heated debate about increasing the retirement age.
While still president of the Young Liberals, Andri Silberschmidt was a co-initiator of the pension initiative years ago. Three weeks before the vote, he is now in the voting arena as FDP Vice President. The Young Liberals’ initiative wants to increase the retirement age to 66 and link it to life expectancy.
“The pension initiative is a unique opportunity for Switzerland to secure the financing of the AHV in the long term,” states the vice president of the FDP right at the beginning. According to the Zurich National Council, it takes Switzerland’s demographic change into account.
The pension initiative is a unique opportunity for Switzerland.
The Bernese Councilor of States Flavia Wasserfallen has a diametrically different opinion. For stable AHV financing, the wage level and the employment rate of the Swiss population are crucial and not the retirement age. In addition, the SP politician explains the billion-dollar deficits in the AHV fund predicted for 2050 as dubious.
“The AHV is doing well,” says Adrian Wüthrich, President of Travail Suisse. The fact that the AHV is facing financial bottlenecks is pure fear-mongering, says Wüthrich. According to calculations by the Federal Social Insurance Office, after 2030 AHV expenditure will exceed its income.
SVP National Councilor Diana Gutjahr calls on the group to give the population pure wine. If the Young Liberals’ initiative were rejected, the Swiss population would face additional taxes, said the Thurgau native. The pension initiative offers an opportunity to ensure AHV financing without putting a strain on Mr. and Mrs. Schweizer’s wallet.
The Obwalden Council of States Erich Ettlin, on the other hand, clearly puts another increase in the retirement age out of the question. This scope has already been exhausted with the 2021 AHV reform and the increase in the women’s retirement age.
The initiative hits the wrong people.
The centrist politician Ettlin feels obliged to fulfill the promises made during that election campaign and forego another increase. He reminds us that the Federal Council is tasked with presenting an interpretation of the financing of the AHV to Parliament by the end of 2026. The opponents of the proposal also agree that the link to life expectancy is a rigid and unfair automatism.
“The initiative hits the wrong people,” explains Flavia Wasserfallen. She argues that today only those who can afford this luxury benefit from early retirement. The Bern native doesn’t buy the fact that the pro side would offer to help find industry-specific solutions if they voted yes on March 3rd.
Stefan Brupbacher, director of Swissmem and a clear supporter of the pension initiative, trusts in social partnership solutions, such as those known in the construction industry. In addition, many employees already want to stay in work past the retirement age of 65. “It is obvious that people should work longer as life expectancy increases,” says Brupbacher.
However, average life expectancy varies between social groups. A study shows that men with a university degree are on average 4.8 years older than those with only a compulsory school leaving certificate. “To put it bluntly, you could say that this initiative is deadly,” says Adrian Wüthrich.
Co-initiator Andri Silberschmidt sees this proposal as a fundamental decision. Old-age and survivors’ insurance is causing considerable concern for the Swiss population, especially the younger generation. “The pension initiative offers a socially acceptable solution,” pleads the FDP politician.
Current SRG surveys predict a yes share of 41 percent for the Young Liberals’ initiative. Swiss voters will decide on the proposal on March 3rd.