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- The referendum against the bridging pension for displaced unemployed over 60 years did not materialize.
- The referendum committee announced that the necessary 50,000 valid signatures were lost.
- The collection period expired on Thursday. With 48,400 uncertified signatures, signature collection narrowly failed.
The referendum was taken by exponents of the SVP and aimed at a referendum on the bridge pension for the unemployed displaced for more than 60 years. The SVP did not hold the referendum itself, but did help collect signatures.
Shortly before the collection period ended on Thursday, the committee attempted to collect the necessary signatures with various actions. With 48,400 signatures not yet certified, the referendum narrowly failed, according to a statement.
The lack of major events, fairs and markets, which could not be held due to the corona pandemic, was a major reason why enough signatures could not have been collected on the street.
Resistance to the new social work
The bridge pension was approved by the parliament against the votes of the SVP closed in the summer session. The bridge pension is designed to prevent the displaced unemployed aged 60 and over from accessing social assistance. Parliament wants to reduce poverty in old age without creating false incentives in the labor market. The supplementary services (EL) already established served as a model.
Federal law: bridge benefit for unemployed seniors
150 million francs a year is allocated and the federal government expects some 3,400 people to be affected. People whose net worth is less than 50,000 francs (for singles) and 100,000 francs (for married couples) can apply for bridging benefits. The net worth also includes the balances of the 2nd pillar if they exceed an amount to be defined by the Federal Council.
The SVP was against the bill from the beginning and justified it with costs. Furthermore, in the crown crisis, employers would be even more motivated to push older workers to the bridging pension. Switzerland could not afford a new social assistance scheme due to accumulated debts.
“Work before retirement”
The referendum committee said that even if people could not vote on the severance pay, its members “would work to ensure that older workers remain in the work process and are not deported to social security at the expense of the state.”
Even with the upcoming revision of the occupational pension plan (BVG) and AHV, members of the referendum committee would campaign for “fair conditions” under the motto “work before retirement” for older employees.
