Matters are off the table: Council of States rejects national day for caring relatives

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That means the deal is off the table. The Council followed the Committee for Social Security and Health (SGK-S), which previously requested that the motion be rejected by nine votes to three.

It is not the job of the Federal Council to designate national days, said rapporteur Damian Müller (FDP/LU). The committee report also points out that organizations can determine such days themselves. The Commission also noted that such a precedent would raise the issue of equal treatment with other areas of concern.

The Federal Council also requested that the motion be rejected – for the same reasons as the SGK-S: it is not within its authority to designate national days. The Sick Day is an initiative of the sponsoring association of the same name. The launch of a national day by the Federal Council would also be problematic given the equal treatment of other relevant issues.

The National Council had accepted the motion in the spring 2023 session.

According to Maillard, a Day for Caring Family Members would have allowed all caring family members to be recognized at the highest level. Maillard claimed that caring family members would ease the burden on public support services. What they would do for help and care at home runs into the billions – without any government support.

At the initiative of the Canton of Vaud, the cantons of Western Switzerland came together in 2012 to celebrate October 30 as a day of official recognition and thanks to caring relatives. Other cantons followed. According to the Federal Council, approximately 600,000 people in Switzerland take on care tasks – equivalent to approximately eight percent of the population.

(SDA)

Source:Blick