2023-05-31 20:28:17
Bernese citizens will vote on June 18 on the introduction of cantonal parental leave. The initiative calls for the introduction of paid parental leave of 24 weeks in addition to maternity and paternity leave. The costs are estimated at around 200 million francs per year.
Concretely, each parent would have six weeks of parental leave. They might then freely divide the remaining 12 weeks. This leave might be taken from the birth of the child until the child enters kindergarten.
Such a solution would allow the Nusbaum family of Bolligen to delay the entry into nursery of their two children, explains Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Jérémie, “we would probably take the holidays in order to try to work part-time”.
With this approach, the initiators wish to better reconcile family life and professional life. They also want to promote equality between women and men, “the mother would no longer be the only one concerned by leave, or by absences linked to illness”, affirms Maurane Riesen, member of the initiative committee.
For the duration of the cantonal parental leave, mothers and fathers would receive “adequate” salary compensation which would be aligned with the maternity allowance. If the population accepts this initiative, the canton of Bern will then act as a pioneer in matters of family policy.
Solution nationale
For the opponents led by the bourgeois parties, it would be wiser to implement a solution at the national level. This would provide a better response to claims than regulations varying from canton to canton.
Another argument put forward by opponents is the gross annual cost of parental leave of 24 weeks. The government estimates it at 200 million francs, mainly at the expense of the canton. The Grand Council rejected the initiative by 95 votes to 52.
According to Virginie Heyer, PLR deputy, the current financial capacity of the canton of Bern does not allow the creation of additional costs. “There would be a kind of parental tourism”, fears the MP, this leave would attract many families and would cause the costs to rise.
>> See also the Infrarouge debate “Parental leave: the bottle of discord?” :
For the moment, no canton has introduced paid parental leave. In the canton of Zurich, an initiative to introduce it failed at the polls in May 2022. A few branches and companies in Switzerland voluntarily grant parental leave.
>> Read also: Geneva might be the first French-speaking canton to have parental leave
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