– Lausanne could also introduce menstrual leave
The Municipal Council wants a pilot project to benefit administration employees who have painful periods.
Published today at 9:00 p.m.
For the majority of the Lausanne Municipal Council, menstrual leave has a dual objective: to break a taboo and improve working conditions for employees who have disabling periods.
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After Yverdon in Februarythe City of Lausanne could also introduce menstrual leave for its employees. Tuesday evening, the Municipal Council accepted a proposal from socialist Audrey Petoud. It is about breaking a taboo, according to her, by making this question “an object of public health”. How? By setting up a pilot project which authorizes employees of the Lausanne administration to take between one and five days of paid leave per month for painful periods, without the need for a medical certificate.
Another objective: to improve the working conditions of women, because “the world of work was designed by and for men”, underlined the applicant, recalling at the same time that endometriosis affects approximately 10 to 15% of menstruating people. “Certain companies have already taken this step, as well as municipalities in Switzerland,” continued the socialist. The entire left was convinced, as were the Green Liberals. Through the voice of Virginie Cavalli, the group however asked to “frame these leaves in such a way as to avoid any abuse”.
PLR and UDC against
PLR and UDC, on the other hand, rejected the postulate. “It’s once again a way of stigmatizing all women and bringing everything back to their bodies,” lamented liberal-radical Anouck Saugy, fearing, among other things, professional discrimination.
For UDC Patrizia Mori, it was the “enormous disparity” between the public and private sectors which motivated her refusal. “Women who work in the private sector would be doubly discriminated against. On the one hand, they cannot take leave, and on the other, they maintain the leave of other women through their taxes.” What about the consequences caused by menopause or repeated cystitis, also asked the elected official who denounced the inequalities that, according to her, menstrual leave would cause. The proposal was finally accepted with 48 yes, 21 no and 2 abstentions.
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Simone Honegger joined the Vaud section since August 2021. Previously, she worked at LFM radio and spent four years in Bern covering federal politics for French-speaking regional radio stations. More info
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