Laws These changes come into force in Switzerland today
"No means no", cost coverage for safer sex method or new rules for battery disposal: Today, Monday, numerous amendments to laws and ordinances as well as other innovations come into force in Switzerland. Here you can keep track.
TRAINING: The federal government and cantons are launching a training offensive in the care sector today: Firstly, the cantons are providing financial support to hospitals, care homes and Spitex organizations that offer practical training places for qualified nursing staff. Secondly, they can provide financial support to people who complete nursing training at a university of applied sciences or higher technical college. The schools also receive subsidies. The aim of the campaign is to improve working conditions in the care sector and promote training. Both were demands of the care initiative approved by voters in 2021. A total of around one billion francs is to be invested in training over eight years.
BATTERY RECYCLING: Retailers can now charge the additional costs for the disposal of severely damaged batteries. In addition, a provision will be introduced to reimburse the advance disposal fee when batteries are exported. According to the Federal Council, the revision of the Ordinance on Chemical Risk Reduction (ORRChem) will provide companies with greater legal certainty. In view of the increasing volume of batteries for electric cars, uniform implementation of the ordinance is to be ensured. In Switzerland, there is a legal obligation for all consumers to return batteries and an obligation for all sellers of batteries to take them back.
WHEEL SPORTS: There is now financial relief for amateur sports clubs in terms of accident insurance. Any athlete or coach whose annual income does not exceed two thirds of the minimum amount of the full annual AHV retirement pension (2023: CHF 9800) no longer has to be insured against accidents with the respective club. Any accident is now covered by the non-occupational accident insurance of the main employer or via accident cover with the health insurance company.
ENERGY: The most important electricity producers and grid operators must now meet minimum standards for cyber security. The ordinance amended by the Federal Council is intended to strengthen protection against cyberattacks on electricity supply companies. An amendment to the Energy Promotion Ordinance now also sets a maximum contribution for investment subsidies for biogas plants. This means that these plants are treated in the same way as wood-fired power plants or waste incineration plants. In the Nuclear Energy Ordinance, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (Ensi) has been given the task of regulating proof of the long-term safety of deep repositories for nuclear waste in its guidelines. And according to the amended Low Voltage Installation Ordinance, installation electricians are now allowed to carry out installation work at home, which previously only specialists were allowed to do.
TOTAL EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT: A new collective employment agreement (CEA) comes into force in the watchmaking and microtechnology industry. This affects almost 55,000 employees in over 500 watchmaking and microtechnology companies in Switzerland. The CLA ensures absolute labor peace in the industrial sector until the end of 2029, as announced by the social partners. This prohibits industrial action such as strikes by employees or lockouts by employers. The new CLA extends maternity leave from 17 to 19 weeks, for example. The employer's contribution to health insurance premiums will rise to CHF 195 from 2025 and the AHV bridging pension for early retirement to CHF 30,000. The CLA for the watch industry was the first in the history of Switzerland 87 years ago.
HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance companies now cover the costs of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for people at increased risk. The latter refers to a safer sex method prior to possible HIV contact. HIV-negative people can take an HIV medication to protect themselves from infection in the event of contact. The adaptation is part of the "Stop HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and sexually transmitted infections (naps)" program adopted by the Federal Council. By 2030, there should be no more infections with the AIDS virus (HIV) and no more infections with hepatitis B and C in Switzerland.
AIR TRANSPORT: The airline Swiss is reducing its Board of Directors from five members to three. André Blattmann and Ashwin Bhat are leaving the Board. In addition, outgoing CEO Dieter Vranckx will become a new member, succeeding Remco Steenbergen. According to the Lufthansa subsidiary, the downsizing is part of a restructuring process. The airline's structure has been reviewed as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. The downsizing is an adjustment to the "new Swiss" and was approved by the Annual General Meeting, it said. Chairman of the Board of Directors Reto Francioni and Doris Russi Schurter will remain on the Board of Directors. Dieter Vranckx will take on the role of Vice Chairman as the third member.
MIGROS: The Swiss retail company Migros is implementing its new structure. As part of this, the company also intends to sell several specialist stores and subsidiaries, including the electronics retailer Melectronics. The company plans to cut around 1500 jobs as part of the realignment. Migros Supermarkt AG announced an initial reduction of 150 jobs in mid-May. In addition to the job cuts, Migros Supermarkt AG is also implementing various cost-cutting measures. One of these concerns the voluntary Nutri-Score food label. Migros intends to gradually remove the Nutri-Score from its products. Furthermore, the administration of the Migros Cooperative Federation will be reduced from 23 to 13 members. The reason for the downsizing of the administration is to increase efficiency, the company announced.
POST: The new CEO, Beat Röthlisberger, takes up office at the Swiss Post subsidiary Postfinance. He previously worked as Deputy CEO of Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB). His predecessor as Postfinance CEO, Hansruedi Köng, stepped down at the end of February 2024. Köng worked for Postfinance for over two decades, becoming CEO at the beginning of 2012. Köng marks the end of an era, the financial institution wrote. Postfinance suffered a significant drop in profits during the negative interest rate era. But even with the turnaround in interest rates, the financial institution has not yet been able to improve its profits.
SEXUAL CRIMINAL LAW: With the entry into force of the revised sexual criminal law, the principle of "no means no" now applies to sexual acts. Rape, sexual assault or sexual coercion are now deemed to have occurred if the victim has expressed with words, gestures or by freezing that they do not consent to the act. The offense of rape now includes not only intercourse against the will of the victim, but also "acts similar to intercourse" that involve penetration of the body. Stealthing will also be punishable. This offense applies to consensual sex if one person involved secretly removes the condom without the prior consent of the other person or does not use one from the outset.
SOCIAL INSURANCE: After the birth of their child, female parliamentarians on maternity leave can now carry out their parliamentary duties without losing their entitlement to maternity pay. Accordingly, the participation of mothers on maternity leave in parliamentary meetings should no longer be considered as taking up gainful employment. The same applies to attending committee meetings. The amendment to the law is the result of initiatives by several cantons. The new regulation will apply at communal, cantonal and federal level.
RESTRUCTURING: Within the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the Climate Division will become a separate directorate. In addition, Biodiversity, Circular Economy and Emissions, Natural Hazards and Forests as well as Policy are further directorate areas. According to the FOEN, the reorganization is intended to improve the management of its tasks and fulfil political mandates more efficiently. Over the past ten years, the demands on the Federal Office have changed considerably.
INSURANCE: There is a changing of the guard at the top of the Swiss reinsurance company Swiss Re as the new CEO, Andreas Berger, takes office. Christian Mumenthaler, who has been CEO for many years, is stepping down. Mumenthaler has worked for Swiss Re since 1999 and served as CEO for eight years. At the same time, Helvetia Insurance is adjusting its Group structure. The market units Germany, Italy and Austria will be combined into one segment. Spain - Helvetia's second-largest market - will become a separate segment and part of the Group Executive Management. Switzerland and "Specialty Markets" will remain separate segments. There will also be a generational change in the Group Executive Management.
VICE CHANCELLOR: The new Vice-Chancellor, Rachel Salzmann, takes up her new role. In coordination with the Federal Chancellor and the other Vice-Chancellor and Federal Council Spokesperson, Salzmann is responsible for carrying out all tasks relating to the preparation, implementation and follow-up of Federal Council meetings. Salzmann also heads seven organizational units with around 130 employees in strategic, operational, personnel and financial terms, which are responsible, among other things, for the publication of official publications and the Federal Chancellery's language services. Salzmann succeeds Jörg de Bernardi.
