The Cantonal Council of Zurich does not want 18 weeks of care leave for fathers and mothers: it decided on Monday to reject the SP’s parental leave initiative and therefore recommends that the people say no.
The main argument against the 18-week solution was above all the fear that it could put an excessive strain on the Zurich economy. In addition, a national solution is needed for parental leave, not Zurich going it alone.
SVP warns of «pregnancy tourism»
However, it will be some time before something happens nationally. It was only last autumn that Swiss voters accepted two weeks of paternity leave at the federal level. This has been in force since the beginning of the year.
For the SVP, for example, it was “extremely difficult” to make further demands now. The party even feared “pregnancy tourism”, meaning that couples would settle here especially because of the generous Zurich solution.
Counter-proposal failed
Parliament could not agree on a counter-proposal. The proposal from the middle was rejected extremely narrowly by 82 votes to 81 with one abstention. She suggested introducing parental leave with 14 weeks of leave each for father and mother, whereby the father should take his care weeks immediately after the maternity leave.
The GLP tipped the scales, speaking out against the 14-week proposal from the middle – although GLP representatives at the federal level had submitted precisely such a proposal. The main argument of the GLP was not to want to create a cantonal solution, but to wait for the federal government.
The people of Zurich have the last word
If the Cantonal Council had accepted the counter-proposal, the SP would have withdrawn its initiative. The counter-proposal of the middle with its 14 weeks each for father and mother would probably have become a reality. Now the people have the choice between the SP initiative and the current situation with 14 weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave. (SDA)