Vacations and bridging days City of Zurich plans even more time off for civil servants

Employees of the city of Zurich are to receive even more time off in future. After the paid Christmas bridge days, a sixth week of vacation is now being discussed.

While many businesses are only available to a limited extent over the festive period, Zurich's administration is largely shutting down its operations at the end of the year. From December 23 to January 5, the city administration will hardly be able to get anything done - with the exception of a few vital departments such as the KESB, lost and found office, recycling center and funeral services.

What is only possible for many employees in the private sector with the use of vacation days is part of the fixed package at the city: six so-called bridging days per year are guaranteed to be paid. Together with four weeks of vacation, this already amounts to a good five weeks of vacation, and even six from the age of 50.

Now another week is to be added. The red-green majorities in the city parliament have spoken out in principle in favor of granting staff an additional week's vacation in future. The concrete elaboration is now up to the city council, reports the "NZZ" on Tuesday.

City employees already benefit today

Municipal employees already benefit from numerous additional benefits. These include an annual mobility allowance of CHF 600 for bicycles or e-bikes, loyalty leave and loyalty bonuses, a guaranteed cost-of-living adjustment, high pension fund contributions and above-average job security. Pregnant employees can also switch to maternity leave three weeks before their due date.

In other Swiss cities, things look less rosy for civil servants. In Bern and Basel, for example, there are five weeks of vacation, but there are no fixed company vacation days as in Zurich. In Zurich, on the other hand, six bridging days are fixed - and are compensated for later in the year if they are not taken in full over Christmas. In 2026, for example, city employees will receive a whole day off on the Monday of the Knabenschiessen, while they will only work a quarter of a day on Maundy Thursday.

Authorities examine measuresEmployees of the city of Zurich whistle at Tiktokerin

For the left-wing parties, however, this is not enough. Luca Maggi from the Greens described the additional week's vacation as "essential" in parliament, especially for shift workers, according to the NZZ. The demands on staff had increased and the city had to cope with a shortage of skilled workers. The existing bridging days should also not be considered vacations, as they are "rigid" and are not perceived as real relaxation.

SP municipal councillor Anjushka Früh made a similar argument: "Good work needs good rest, and rest needs time." In addition, the company vacation days are a compensation for the fact that city employees work 42 hours a week, longer than many others.