Triggered by a parliamentary initiative by former St. Gallen GLP National Councilor Margrit Kessler, the Grand Chamber passed the bill by 171 votes to 1 with 22 abstentions. The latter mainly came from the FDP. Kessler originally called for 14 weeks of furlough for surviving fathers. The proposal will go to the Council of States.
The Pre-Advisory Committee on Social Security and Health of the National Council (SGK-N) had applied with a decisive vote of the President to introduce a 14-week vacation compensated by the Income Replacement Scheme (EO). She refused to transfer the claim of the other parent.
Surviving fathers should therefore only be entitled to two weeks of paternity leave and for surviving mothers, the two weeks of paternity leave should not have counted towards maternity leave.
However, by 112 votes to 76 with 5 abstentions, the Council agreed to the more generous proposal from a minority of the Commission, which called for the 16-week version originally sent for consultation. However, the National Council rejected 20 weeks of vacation, demanding a second minority.
The suggestion for 16 weeks follows a simple logic, said Jörg Mäder (GLP/ZH). The right of one parent simply passes to the surviving spouse, so 14 plus 2 or vice versa. “Do you really want to sacrifice humanity for 120,000 francs a year,” asked the minority spokesman, visibly bewildered.
Flavia Wasserfallen (SP/BE) emphasized that with the chosen version the Council wants to prevent maternity or paternity leave from ending but being transferred to the surviving parent. The rarity of the incidents does not detract from the tragedy, explains Tiana Angelina Moser (GLP/ZH). The solution helps to reorganize life as a survivor in addition to the grief.
The Bundesrat also spoke out in favor of the variant decided upon by the majority of the Council. It guarantees equal treatment of the surviving mother or father. The follow-up costs are negligible, emphasized Health Minister Alain Berset.
Deaths due to complications after pregnancy or childbirth are very rare in Switzerland. According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FSO), between 2005 and 2021, an average of five out of approximately 82,000 births were affected.
The costs of the income replacement scheme for 2024 are estimated at CHF 120,000. CHF 80,000 is for grieving fathers leave and CHF 40,000 is for grieving mothers leave.
(SDA)