Council of States does not approve Geneva parental leave for the time being
Published: Tuesday, Sep 10th 2024, 12:10
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The canton of Geneva cannot introduce 24-week parental leave for the time being. The Council of States has suspended the guarantee of the corresponding constitutional amendment. However, it is insisting that parliament can quickly decide on a revision of the Income Compensation Act.
The Confederation is responsible for guaranteeing the cantonal constitutions. Every year, Parliament assesses several amendments to cantonal constitutions to ensure that they do not contradict federal law.
On June 18, voters in Geneva approved a 24-week parental leave. Specifically, the existing 16-week cantonal maternity insurance is to be supplemented by eight weeks in favor of the father, the mother's partner or the father's partner. Both the maternity insurance and the new parental insurance are to be financed by equal contributions from employers and employees.
According to the Federal Council, this second part of the proposal is not compatible with current federal law. "In contrast to maternity insurance, the cantons do not currently have the authority to introduce insurance financed by equal contributions in this area," the national government wrote in May, referring to an interpretation by the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ).
At the same time, the Federal Council submitted a corresponding amendment to the Federal Act on Income Compensation (EOG) for consultation. If this law were to be amended to this effect one day, the Federal Council would apply for the Geneva parental insurance to be guaranteed, it wrote.
The Council of States would like to wait for this work to be completed before deciding on the guarantee of the Geneva constitutional provisions, as it tacitly decided on Tuesday. The National Council's Political Institutions Committee (SPK-N) shares this view. The upper chamber will also decide on the suspension in the fall session.
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