The social partners want to save the support measures, but also a Swiss franc, which more than ever plays its role as a safe haven, according to the headlines in the Sunday press. Here is the main information:
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Unions and artisans united to defend wages
Trade unions and craft associations have united for negotiations on Bilateral III. In an open letter, the social partners want to save the accompanying measures, which allow wage protection in the event of an agreement between Switzerland and the EU, we read in SonntagsBlick. Concretely, they demand, among other things, that Swiss regulations on salaries and costs, set out in the various collective labor agreements, also apply to workers posted from European companies. In addition, the security obligation, which guarantees possible violations of the collective labor agreement, must apply to foreign companies as well as Swiss companies.
Steel subsidies: Swissmem says no
Swissmem director Stefan Brupbacher has spoken out against state subsidization of his association members Stahl Gerlafingen, Swiss Steel and Novelis. The past shows that subsidies are expensive and do not work in the long term, the director of the industry association said in an interview with SonntagsBlick. He also believes that the Swiss steel industry is not systemically important. There are sufficient possibilities abroad to obtain steel. The Italian Beltrame group, which owns Stahl Gerlafingen, has requested state support from the Confederation. The band got it overseas. The owner family nevertheless distributed dividends abroad to the tune of 54.2 million euros, recalls the newspaper.
Nuclear waste: 3500 football fields
Nagra has calculated a significantly larger space for the final repository of nuclear waste than that planned for current waste. The underground protection zone covers 26 square kilometers, which corresponds to more than 3,500 football fields, writes the NZZ am Sonntag. The deep repository, in which the fuel rods will one day be enclosed, covers only 2 to 3 square kilometers. According to a spokesperson for the National Cooperative Society for the Storage of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), there would indeed be room in the region for a much larger final repository. Nagra does not speculate on how the policy would address additional waste disposal if there were plans for new construction.
The Swiss franc plays its role as a safe haven more than ever
Political crises in Europe and the war in Ukraine mean that the Swiss franc is playing its role as a safe haven more than ever. The current price – less than 93 cents per euro – is approaching the historic low of 2015, when the SNB stopped anchoring it to the single currency. An appreciation which will continue, believe many specialists. “Within three years, we will be at 80 cents for 1 euro,” says a private banker. At first glance, this is good news for the purchasing power of the population. But on the economic level things are likely to get tougher, believes Matin Dimanche. From watchmaking to microtechnology, Swiss exporting companies are trembling. The same goes for the tourism sector, at the dawn of the winter season.
Regulation of internet giants: Switzerland late
The regulation of large Internet platforms like X, Facebook or Youtube is at a standstill in Switzerland. The consultation will not start this year as planned, the Federal Office of Communications told NZZ am Sonntag. It takes “some time” to finalize, as it is a completely new law with new legal issues. The federal office did not wish to comment on the timetable. Originally, the administration wanted to present a project at the end of March 2024, according to the newspaper. The project was then postponed to the second semester.
ADHD: explosion in ritalin consumption
The use of medications against attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity in children (ADHD) has increased by 10% per year in Switzerland since 2021, we read in Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung, according to data current information from Swissmedic. The current increase in the use of Ritalin for the treatment of ADHD is also said to have been confirmed by wastewater measurements and data from health insurance companies. Specialists would rule out higher dosages being used. The increase therefore indicates that there are more people being treated. The data, however, leaves a lot of room for speculation. A possible explanation would be the increase in pressure to perform. Environmental epidemiologists also fear that insecticide residues could promote behavioral disorders.
Insults: explosion of complaints
The number of reports of insults has increased by 64% in Switzerland over the last ten years. Since 2020, the number has remained at 12,000 per year, writes SonntagsZeitung. This corresponds to an average of 34 denunciations per day. For criminal law professor Monika Simmler, the reason for this increase lies in the fact that the messages are digitally traceable and not in the fact that there is more insulting. In the past, insults, for example at the regulars’ table, were simply not documented. Today, they are written in black and white in messages.
More hotels, but falling occupancy rates
Despite a tourism boom, the occupancy rate has fallen in many hotels in Switzerland. Indeed, Switzerland has also experienced a parallel boom in new hotels, according to the NZZ am Sonntag. According to this study, the number of beds in hotels increased by 5.4% between 2019 and 2023. Overnight stays increased by 5.5% over the same period. The tourist boom therefore does not generate big profits, writes the newspaper. It is mainly international hotel chains – particularly in cities – that have made more beds available. The first data for the current year would indicate that this paradoxical development is continuing.
Valais: wolves wrongly killed
According to genetic analyses, it was not the right wolves that were killed in Valais. Eleven of the slaughtered animals did not belong, according to kinship analyses, to the 27 authorized packs, we read in SonntagsBlick. Five cubs and six adult animals were wrongly killed. The Swiss Loup Group strongly criticized the Valais authorities. According to SonntagsBlick, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), which had authorized the shooting zones, rejected all responsibility and referred it to the canton of Valais.
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