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On November 10, 2020, the popular initiative “A wage to live on” was submitted. The initiative aims to protect employees from poverty despite working and demands a minimum wage of CHF 23 per hour. The city council declared the initiative partially valid and presented a counter-proposal that substantially addressed the concerns of the initiators, but went less far.
Parliament recommends rejection, city council acceptance of the initiative
On March 6, 2023, the city parliament discussed the two proposals. It clearly rejected the counter-proposal by a vote of 46 to 8. The popular initiative was rejected by Parliament with 30 no to 24 yes. On the issue of partial validity, Parliament unanimously (55 votes) followed the City Council. Thus, according to the will of Parliament, only the popular initiative – without the invalid elements – will be put to the vote. Parliament recommends that voters reject the initiative.
At the same time, the city council decided to recommend the voters to accept the initiative. In principle, living wages should be paid in Winterthur. The introduction of a minimum wage can be a solution to alleviate in-work poverty.
