Swiss government pensions come under pressure in parliament

On Friday, a committee in the House of Representatives voted narrowly in favour of scrapping the generous pensions enjoyed by ex-government ministers and federal judges. The general public does not understand why ministers, the Federal Chancellor and federal judges are so privileged compared to other insured persons, said the text authored by Rémy Wyssmann from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. These privileges amount to receiving a pension of half of the monthly salary in office. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Such people should be treated the same as everyone else when it comes to occupational benefits, agreed the committee majority in a press release issued on Friday. A minority, on the other hand, believed that current regulations should be kept, as they are the only way to guarantee the independence of high officeholders. The decision was taken by 12 votes to 11, with 1 abstention. The issue will now be discussed by a committee in the Senate.