class=”sc-29f61514-0 kHgAwW”>
Life is getting more and more expensive. No wonder then that the bureau of the Council of States advocated also adjusting the wages of politicians in the Federal Palace to inflation.
As Blick reported, in March the Bureau of the Council of States decided on the “Cost of Living Adjustment for Council members’ incomes and pensions” initiative. It involved a 2.5 percent increase in compensation.
Citizens against supplement
With a salary of the Council of States of CHF 142,500 per year and a cost-of-living adjustment of 2.5 percent, about CHF 3,500 would have flowed into the politicians’ pockets. In the case of the National Council, CHF 3,300 would be added to the salary of CHF 132,500. That would have meant CHF 1.3 million extra, says SP councilor Eva Herzog (61).
The plans were not well received by SVP and Blick readers – also because Parliament was stingy with the cost-of-living adjustment for AHV pensioners: “All you can do is shake your head,” said Solothurn SVP National Councilor Walter Wobmann (65) to Blick in March. “It’s all wrong for you to come up with such an idea right now.”
After that, the FDP also announced that it no longer wanted to know about the increase. The Liberal parliamentary group voted unanimously to reject the plans. “In the current tense financial situation, this would be irresponsible,” the party wrote on Twitter.
The Council of States voted 29 to 11 against the plans on Wednesday. This means that the wage increase is off the table.
No extra credit for civil servants
According to the will of the Council of States, the federal government should also finance the higher adjustment of the cost of living for federal employees from the existing budget. The small chamber declined to pronounce another 31.2 million francs on Wednesday.
The Council of States adopted its decision with 27 votes in favour, 12 against and 0 abstentions.
A 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment was originally budgeted for in the federal budget, but the Federal Council later decided to increase it to 2.5 percent. However, the small chamber’s decision does not change the increase as such. (she/sda)
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.
