Citizens in Basel City accepted the proposal with a majority of just under 54%. The slightly higher minimum wage proposed by the initial plan was narrowly rejected by 50.68%.
The new minimum wage in the canton will thus be fixed at CHF21 ($23.39) per hour, although exceptions are foreseen: for example, for salaries already negotiated through collective bargaining agreements, for internships lasting less than six months, for employees who mostly work abroad, and for on-call workers who work less than 70 hours per year.
The project was backed by the leftwing social democrats and Greens, and opposed by parties from the centre and the right.
Basel City thus becomes the fifth Swiss canton to introduce a minimum wage, and the first in the German-speaking part of the country.
Neuchâtel was the first to approve a minimum wage, CHF20 in 2017. Geneva has the highest: CH23 per hour, approved last year. Ticino and Jura also have minimum wages.
At the national level, the issue was put before voters in an initiative launched by trade unions in 2014: a resounding 76.3% of Swiss rejected what would have been the world’s highest nationwide minimum wage of CHF22.
More
More
Swiss say no to world’s highest minimum wage
This content was published on
In Sunday’s nationwide vote 76.3% of voters were against the initiative. Voter turnout was 55.5%. Under the initiative, someone on a minimum wage in Switzerland would have earned double the rate in Britain or the United States. Although high, the Swiss limit was set against the country’s high cost of living, where the median hourly…
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Powder permitted to help with holes in Emmental cheese
This content was published on
The Federal Administrative Court has authorised the use of hay flower powder in the production of Emmental cheese with a protected designation of origin.
Estates of Schwarzenbach and Maillart honoured by UNESCO
This content was published on
The estates of Swiss writers Annemarie Schwarzenbach (1908-1942) and Ella Maillart (1903-1997) are to be included in the Memory of the World Register.
Novartis announces billion-dollar investments in the US
This content was published on
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis plans to invest a total of $23 billion in the US over the next five years to expand production and research.
Money laundering and paedophile crime increase in Switzerland
This content was published on
The number of suspected cases of money laundering, reports of threats against officers and cases of paedophile crime increased last year, in some cases sharply.
Toblerone invests in Bern and puts new emphasis on Swiss cross
This content was published on
Since US multinational Mondelēz relocated part of Toblerone production to Slovakia in 2023, the company is no longer allowed to call its chocolate “Swiss made”.
Switzerland and 35 other members declare support for WTO
This content was published on
Switzerland and 35 other members have recommitted themselves to honouring the rules of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO).
This content was published on
Over a million Swiss residents were struggling financially before coronavirus. The pandemic threatens to push many of them into precarious situations.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.