Demonstration Around 20,000 people demonstrate against austerity measures in Lausanne
The mobilization of Vaud cantonal employees continues: around 20,000 people took to the streets in Lausanne on Tuesday to demonstrate against the 2026 budget and the associated austerity measures.
09.12.2025, 20:18
09.12.2025, 21:44
SDA
The demonstrators initially gathered on the Esplanade de Montbenon, a park in the city center, and moved towards the seat of government shortly after 6 pm. A reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency estimated the number of participants at 15,000, while the police put the figure at 21,500 and the trade unions wrote in a communiqué that there were at least 25,000 demonstrators.
The rally was peaceful, although a car in the crowd briefly caused uncertainty. A spokesperson for the Lausanne police said on request that the car had entered the demonstration without malicious intent. He was confirming a report by French-speaking Swiss television station RTS.
"Strike is the solution"
"Strike, strike, strike and mobilization, that's it, that's it, that's the solution," chanted the public and semi-public sector employees. They criticized the "negotiations that only take place in the imagination of the Council of State". They also placed a coffin in front of the Vaud parliament building.
The mobilization of state employees has been ongoing since October, most recently in the form of strikes. On Wednesday, the unions plan to hold a meeting to decide whether to continue the movement.
On 24 September, the government presented its budget for 2026, which envisages a deficit of CHF 331 million and cost-cutting measures amounting to CHF 305 million. In particular, this includes subsidy cuts amounting to CHF 165 million. State employees in certain salary brackets are to participate in the measures with a "crisis contribution" of 0.7 percent of their gross salary.
