Who should take care of the children? For the left and the responsible education committee in the Federal Palace, it is clear: more support from the federal government is needed because external care for the offspring is very expensive.
And if daycare becomes cheaper, working mothers will be more likely to supplement their low workload – that’s the thinking given the pervasive shortage of skilled labour.
In an international comparison, according to a 2021 UNICEF study, Switzerland also performs poorly when it comes to extra-family care of pre-schoolers. While most affluent countries heavily subsidize childcare for underprivileged families, Swiss parents have to dig deep into their pockets, the report said.
issue of the cantons
And so it was clear to the responsible committee in the parliament in Bern: parents and cantons should receive more money in the future than before to make external childcare cheaper. Current financial support from the federal government for childcare that supplements the family is limited. This stage is replaced by new rules of common law. Cost point: about 710 million Swiss francs per year. The House of Representatives will now consider the bill on Wednesday. And this is controversial.
Leading up to the parliamentary debate, there was fierce debate over the funding of the bill and the federal government’s authority to provide childcare to supplement the family.
Until now, the cantons have been primarily responsible for this task, and they should continue to do so. At least when it comes to SVP National Council member Nadja Umbricht Pieren (43). She runs two nurseries and a nursery herself. It is clear to them that childcare must remain a matter for the family and the cantons. That is why she is not advocating a mega-financial injection from the federal government. It also bothers her that the state would unilaterally subsidize a certain family model, she says.
The finance minister is not happy
Kathrin Bertschy (43), Green Liberal National Council member and co-chair of the Federation of Swiss Women’s Organizations Alliance F, opposes this. She says, “Investments in childcare certainly pay off economically.” The template is intended to increase the children’s development opportunities and improve the compatibility of family and work. In addition, the subsidy ensures that more women find their way to work.
In Karin Keller-Sutter (59), the template has an important bourgeois critic. The cash injection is far too expensive for the Minister of Finance and the Federal Council. This argument is also supported by the bourgeoisie: Christian Wasserfallen (FDP, 41) says that extensive subsidies for childcare will not lead to more women entering the workforce and thus reduce the shortage of skilled workers, he says when asked. For the Bernese National Council, the price is also the problem: the bill does not meet the debt brake, as he says.
FDP requests postponement
However, not all the women in Wasserfallen’s party share his attitude. However, the FDP women do not want to comment on this on Tuesday, the chairman of the FDP Women told Blick. “I have decided not to make any public statements so close to the interview,” says Susanne Vincenz-Stauffacher (56).
The huge kita pack is still threatened with shipwreck today. There are several applications that want to reduce the federal contribution – this would reduce the cost to the federal government to 360 million francs. There is also a demand that single working parents should take advantage of reduced childcare places – and the FDP even wants to demand that the OECD’s tax reform be awaited first.
Observers believe that the latest proposal bears the signature of FDP federal councilor Keller-Sutter. Because they had to report to the media in mid-February, “We have a spending problem.” There is no room for new expenditure, the financial budget is too tight for that. Even then, the federal contribution to the costs of childcare turned out to be very high. (she)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
