Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Do you know how much your friends earn? Swiss discretion often keeps us from discussing such topics, but a new study offers some fascinating insights into the pay gap between government employees and the private sector.
There is still uncertainty surrounding the case of the main suspect in the murder of the 19-year-old woman in Paris. The 22-year-old suspect, who is being held in Geneva, is resisting extradition.
Other topics in today’s briefing: How does a Swiss woman living in Lebanon experience the Middle East conflict? And why the Swiss authorities could be obstructing tennis hero Roger Federer’s plans for a boathouse.
I wish you a good read and all the best.
Federal salaries under scrutiny: a nuanced pay gap
The average salary in the Swiss federal government is a constant source of debate. Now, the Federal Council has had its salary structure analysed.
Does the federal government pay more than the private sector? A new comparative study by PwC confirms a pay gap between federal employees and those in private companies, but the results are more nuanced than they may first appear. For example, logistics specialists and laboratory technicians working for the government are better compensated, while employees in management positions fare less well.
According to the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), which cites the study’s findings, laboratory staff employed by the federal government earn an average of CHF102,000 ($118,138) per year—26% more than their counterparts in the private sector. In contrast, managers in private companies often earn significantly more, with salaries as much as 58% higher. This difference is largely due to variable salary components such as bonuses or gratuities.
The significance of the study depends heavily on the type of companies the federal government compares itself with. For instance, small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 15,000 employees were not considered.
It remains to be seen what conclusions the Federal Council will draw from this comparison, though it appears to feel vindicated in its aim to curb personnel costs.
- Read more in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)External link report
Philippine murder case: extradition delayed for main suspect
Switzerland cannot extradite the main suspect in the “Philippine” case for the time being, as the case continues to cause outrage in France.
The 22-year-old suspect, accused of raping and murdering a 19-year-old French student named Philippine in Paris, is resisting simplified extradition to France, according to Swiss public television, RTS.
The suspect allegedly raped and killed the young woman in September, before burying her body in the Bois de Boulogne, a forested area on the outskirts of Paris. He was arrested by Geneva police on September 24 near Geneva railway station.
The French authorities submitted an extradition request last Wednesday. The decision now rests with the Swiss federal authorities to determine the next steps. The case has sparked outrage in France, as the suspect had already been convicted of rape in 2021 and should have been deported from France.
- The investigation by Swiss public television, RTS
A Swiss Abroad in Lebanon speaks on the ongoing conflict
As fighting between Israel and the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah continues, a Swiss woman living in Lebanon shares her experience of the conflict.
“There is total uncertainty,” says Maha Weber in an interview with my colleague Christian Raaflaub about her daily life in Lebanon. The early-retired Swiss expat has been living just outside the capital, Beirut, for six years.
Weber can hear Israeli fighter jets overhead every day. On Tuesday, Israeli drones hovered over her region for hours.
From her home, she can see all the way to Beirut: “Sometimes in the evening, I can see bombings over the capital from my window. It’s such a painful feeling. I think: how must the civilians, the families, feel under these bombs?” The overwhelming sense of powerlessness, injustice and arbitrariness is almost unbearable.
- Read the full SWI Swissinfo.ch interview
Roger Federer’s boathouse project faces new opposition
The controversy surrounding Roger Federer’s planned boathouse continues, as the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment has filed a new complaint.
In September, the city of Rapperswil-Jona and canton St Gallen approved Federer’s boathouse project, despite several objections. However, a new twist emerged: the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment has now intervened and lodged a formal complaint, confirmed by the office to the Keystone-SDA news agency, following initial reports from the Swiss newspaper, the Linth-ZeitungExternal link.
The project has triggered four legal proceedings, including opposition from the Rives Publiques association, which advocates for public access to lakeshores. It is still unclear what specific legal objections the federal government is raising, as the proceedings are ongoing.
- The report from Swiss public television, SRFExternal link
Picture of the day
After Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal (left) cancelled yesterday’s meeting in Bern, Defence Minister Viola Amherd and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis shook his hands today at the Ukraine Mine Action Conference in Lausanne.
Representatives of governments, non-governmental organisations, foundations, companies and universities are currently gathering in the capital of canton Vaud for the international conference on the demining of Ukraine.
Ukraine is more heavily mined than almost any other country in the world. Amherd, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, announced the delivery of three additional mine clearance systems. “We are determined to continue to make our contribution in Ukraine,” she said. Every defused explosive device is a step towards security, development and a life with prospects, Amherd said. Here you can find an overview on the conference.
Adapted from German by Alexandra MV Andrist/ac
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