Cantonal Council LU Lucerne Cantonal Council wants to "moderately" increase its own compensation

The remuneration of Lucerne's cantonal councillors is to be increased "moderately". Parliament has issued a postulate to the cantonal government requesting it to investigate the matter.

The Cantonal Council approved the proposal on Tuesday by 84 votes to 30. The postulate came from all parliamentary groups with the exception of the SVP.

In 2009, the basic remuneration for a member of parliament was set at CHF 6,000. So far, it has only been adjusted for inflation. Cantonal councillors also receive attendance fees, function allowances and travel expenses. According to the postulate, an average of around CHF 13,000 is paid out per councillor per year.

Adrian Nussbaum (center) said that the aim was to discuss a moderate increase. Remuneration based on time and effort was not envisaged, as the parliamentary office should remain a militia and honorary office.

Appreciation for political work

Peter Fässler (SP) supported the demand. People do not live by fame and honor alone, he said. Ruedi Amrein (FDP) explained that commitment could also be expected in return for "fair" compensation. Political work should be worth something.

Mario Cozzio (GLP) supported the call for an increase in compensation because a lot had changed since 2009. The number of session days and meetings had increased and more and more complex business had to be dealt with, he explained.

Fabrizio Misticoni (Greens) explained that the issue was "somewhat explosive" because it involved taxpayers' money. Although compensation was not the main motivation for a cantonal council office, it should not be an exclusion criterion either, he said, explaining his agreement

Only the SVP was against higher compensation. Angela Lüthold (SVP) said that an increase would contradict the thriftiness that politicians must demonstrate in their role model function. She feared that trust in politics could be weakened.