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Swiss union bemoans ‘stingy’ paternity leave

Young father with baby
A father holds his newborn infant named Julia at the maternity unit of the Triemli Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2016. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

One year after a nationwide vote, most new fathers in Switzerland have the right to two weeks of paternity leave – the legal minimum – to help look after a new-born child. Large disparities exist between employment sectors, unions complain.

According to a study published on Thursday, 65% of employees have the right to two weeks of paid paternity leave, 19% can take between 11-19 days and 16% can take more than 19 days.

The survey was carried out among 1,413 employees by the independent workers’ umbrella organisation Travail.Suisse and the Bern University of Applied Sciences.

A two-week federally mandated paternity leave came into effect in Switzerland on January 1, following a nationwide vote on the issue on September 27, 2020 backed by 60% of voters.

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Previously, men were not entitled to any statutory days off after the birth of a child, although they could request one or two days’ leave under the code of obligations in Swiss labour law. Some employers in both the private and public sectors have more generous policies than the two-week minimum.

Sector differences

The latest survey shows that despite the introduction of a two-week legal minimum, large differences exist between job sectors, Travail.Suisse said.

“The craft and health sectors are the most stingy, with an average of 10-11 days. The needs of young employees are not sufficiently taken into account in these sectors,” said Thomas Bauer, head of social policy at Travail.Suisse.

The union expressed surprise that most cantonal employees only receive the legal minimum, unlike those in the smaller municipalities, who generally receive longer leave.

The most generous sectors were the IT and communications and pharma sectors, where the average paternity leave is 30-31 days.

Unions and some parliamentarians have vowed to continue to exert pressure for better paid leave conditions for new fathers in Switzerland.

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