2023-05-03 20:08:36
ParliamentYoung mothers should be treated like soldiers
The National on Wednesday supported a motion by the Council of States which demanded the same APGs for women on maternity leave as soldiers doing their military service.
Mothers on maternity leave should soon receive the same allowances as soldiers.
AFP
The Federal Council will have to put military service and maternity on the same footing in terms of loss of earnings allowances (APG). Indeed, the National accepted Wednesday by 95 votes to 77 a motion from Senator Eva Herzog (PS / BS) who wanted to correct the current unequal treatment. A motion accepted by the Chamber of Cantons last December when it had narrowly refused a similar motion from the National in June 2022.
As a reminder, today, women who are on maternity leave receive a maximum of 196 francs per day, while those who do military or civilian service can receive 245 francs. Consequently, Eva Herzog proposed to correct the situation, either by raising the amount of APG for mothers to the same level as that for soldiers, or by setting the same amount – between 196 and 245 francs – for everyone, so that the whole does not cost more to the APG than today.
Unjustified inequality
The majority of the committee is of the opinion that this unequal treatment is unjustified and that it must be ended, recalled Benjamin Roduit (Centre / VS). A minority, led by the PLR and the UDC, proposed to reject the motion. She recalled that raising the APGs of mothers to the level of those of soldiers risked costing the system dearly, which must already absorb paternity leave or that of parents of seriously ill children.
“The Federal Council recognizes the need to act but the solutions are not satisfactory,” tried to oppose the Minister of Health, Alain Berset. The second solution is unfeasible, according to him, while the first would generate costs of 250 million per year, he explained. He recalled that a revision of the APG law was in progress and that equal treatment would be examined there. “We have to let ourselves be a little more creative. In any case, a project will be put out for consultation and will come back to Parliament, ”he tried. In vain.
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