Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Switzerland could be the future venue for peace talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. At least, that's what French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has been quick to show the government’s readiness to take on such a mission, despite an arrest warrant for Putin from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In this selection, we also look at a controversial Swatch advertising campaign and the participation of several Swiss Abroad in the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival.
French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested that future peace talks between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin should take place in a neutral location in Europe, possibly in Geneva. The Ukrainian and Russian presidents have both confirmed their willingness to meet.
In an interview with the LCI television channel, the French head of state said that there was “collective will” for the meeting between Zelensky and Putin to be held in Europe. “It will be in a neutral country, so perhaps Switzerland – I’m arguing for Geneva – or another country. The last time there were bilateral discussions was in Istanbul,” he said.
Switzerland is “more than ready” to host a summit between Russia and Ukraine, said Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, stressing Switzerland’s expertise in this area. “I believe 200% in the organisation of this summit and we have been discussing this for a long time,” he said during a joint appearance with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, who was visiting Bern on Tuesday.
Cassis said he would offer “immunity” to Putin, despite his indictment by the International Criminal Court, on condition that he came “for a peace conference”. Tajani said Rome would also be available to organise a summit, but that Italy “supported” Geneva.
The end of the summer holidays marks the start of the traditional wage negotiation period. On Tuesday, the independent umbrella organisation for employees in Switzerland set out its demands: it is calling for an average pay rise of 2% in 2026.
This increase should compensate for the increase in the cost of living and put an end to the wage backlog accumulated in recent years, it said. Thomas Bauer, head of economic policy at Travail.Suisse, notes that real wages have fallen significantly in many sectors in 2022 and 2023. Although the situation has been corrected somewhat in the following two years, this is not enough, he stresses.
The Swiss Employers’ Association reacted on the social media platform X: it considers the unions’ wage demands to be exaggerated, particularly in view of the new US customs duties on Swiss exports. It is calling for wage negotiations to be conducted “with restraint”, arguing that 2025 will not be a normal year. The aim is to preserve as many jobs as possible.
Swiss companies are forecasting an average pay rise of 1.3% next year, according to a survey conducted on Monday by the Centre for Economic Research at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich (KOF). After deducting the 0.5% rise in inflation expected by the KOF, employees would receive a real salary increase of around 0.8%.
Swiss watchmaker Swatch has withdrawn a controversial global advertising campaign. The brand has been accused of racism in China, which had repercussions for its share price on the Swiss stock exchange.
In a promotional image for the Swatch Essentials collection, an Asian male model pulls his eyes up and back with his fingers. The images were widely condemned online in China, where many comments said they appeared to mimic racist taunts about Asian eyes. Swatch has faced an avalanche of negative comments on social media networks.
“This gesture has been used to discriminate against all Asians, not just the Chinese, for decades. It is common knowledge that this line should not be crossed,” said one user on Instagram. Many others described the ad as “racist” and “discriminatory”.
After withdrawing the campaign, the iconic brand of the Biel-based group issued a statement: “We sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused.” On the Swiss stock exchange, Swatch was one of the biggest losers on Tuesday, with its share price down by more than 3%.
Six Swiss nationals from abroad will be taking part in this year’s Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival, which will be held this weekend in Mollis, canton Glarus.
A total of 274 wrestlers will be competing. They include six Swiss nationals from abroad: Connor Treat, Brendan Spahr, Marshall Brockway and Peter Ming from the United States, and Martin Mathis and Thomas Badat from Canada, according to the Bernese daily Berner Zeitung.
Thomas Badat took part in the 2022 Federal Wrestling Festival in canton Basel Country. The 28-year-old Swiss was born in Quebec, but his parents come from St Gallen. “We speak Swiss German as a family and still follow a lot of Swiss traditions, like playing jass [traditional card game], but also wrestling. My father used to wrestle, and I do too,” he told the newspaper Le Temps.
The Federal Wrestling Festival, held every three years, is one of Switzerland’s most popular festivals. One of its key features is that there are no medals, cups or cash prizes. But the winner doesn’t go home empty-handed: he wins a bull.
More
Will Switzerland finally do away with imputed rental-value tax on homeowners?
More
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
More
How Switzerland deals with potentially problematic first names
More
Zurich Airport ground handling staff to strike on Friday
More
Swiss army recruits remain in hospital after gruelling test exercise
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
