BERN, Switzerland
(AP) — Who turns down a long vacation? Known for their work ethic, Swiss
citizens appear to be leading the way on European austerity, rejecting a
minimum six weeks paid holiday a year.
Switzerland counted
ballots Sunday for five national referendums, including one pushed by a
union to raise the minimum holiday from four weeks to the standard used
in Germany, Italy, Russia and other European nations. Some of the
nation's 26 cantons (states) also held voting on local measures to deal
with everything from demonstrators to prostitutes.
The Swiss heeded warnings from government and business that more vacation would raise labor costs and put the economy at risk.
Swiss public broadcaster SSR said two-thirds of voters and all of the
cantons had rejected the measure, which required majority approval of
all federal and cantonal voters.
"In rejecting the initiative,
citizens have kept a sense of reality," said Hans-Ulrich Bigler,
director of the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts, which represents around
300,000 businesses. The referendum, he said in a
statement, could have added 6 billion francs ($6.52 billion) a year in
labor costs to the Swiss economy, but the vote "clearly shows that the
population continues to focus on individual freedom and responsibility
of citizens."
But one initiative aimed at limiting the number of
second homes in resort towns squeaked through with just more than 50
percent of the nationwide vote, according to SSR. The surprise success
of the referendum, championed by 84-year-old
journalist-turned-environmental activist Franz Weber and groups intent
on keeping a lid on the use of natural resources and rising property
prices, will be of particular interest to wealthy foreigners seeking a
retreat in the Alpine nation.
Voters have decided that no more
than a fifth of each community's housing can be sold for second homes.
Tourist areas that draw outside wealth — roughly the southern half of
the nation dominated by the Swiss Alps — uniformly opposed setting such a
limit. About 12 percent or a 500,000 homes nationwide are estimated to
be used as getaways, rather than full-year abodes.
Environment
Minister Doris Leuthard said many questions remain about how to
implement it though the government shares a concern about people
struggling to afford housing while the "occupancy rate of second homes"
is too low in many areas.
By an overwhelming 87 percent federal
vote and unanimous support among cantons, Switzerland agreed to change
its constitution to require that all profits from Swiss lotteries and
gambling pay for improvements in sports, culture, environment or social
projects that benefit the public.
In Geneva, home to the European
U.N. headquarters and frequent human rights demonstrations, voters
passed tighter restrictions on demonstrations and steep fines of up to
100,000 francs ($110,000) on protesters who don't get prior permission
or adhere to rules. A U.N. official charged with upholding people's
right to gather peacefully had cautioned that the measure would "unduly
restrict" free speech.
In Zurich, which has a flourishing red
light district, the city narrowly voted to move prostitutes out of
residential areas by building an area for them to work in with parking
and garages. Prostitution is legal and regulated in Switzerland.
Though
popular with young people, the referendum on vacation time tested how
comfortable the Swiss feel about their traditional safe-haven economy.
The nation has fared better than most others in debt-saddled Europe,
where the financial sector and governments are being forced to cut
spending and pay for expensive bailouts.
But there may have been
too much of a good thing for Switzerland: As international traders leery
of other nations' financial stability poured money into the safety of
Swiss money accounts, the franc jumped in value, putting a dent in Swiss
exports and tourism.
The Swiss central bank moved in September to
put a lid on the currency's rise by setting a target exchange rate of
1.20 Swiss francs per euro, but the Swiss economy is still expected to
slow this year, because of turmoil in the global economy and the
eurozone's debt crisis.
As much of Europe struggles to control
debt through layoffs, wage cuts and tax increases, Swiss campaign group
Travail.Suisse argued more break time was needed to help people cope
with rising workplace stress because of the fast pace and increased
competition.
Travail.Suisse collected 125,000 signatures two years
ago to demand a vote on whether the vacation quota needed to be raised.
It expressed disappointment at the result, but said it was proud it had
raised the issue of workers' anxiety. Many Swiss laws result from
referendums.
Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said
taking two more weeks of vacation is not the best way to fight stress
and does not answer the question of "who will do the job of those who
are on vacation."
Employers also are wary of the doom and gloom — and more indulgent spending — found outside Swiss borders.
One
TV ad run by Swiss employers before the voting depicted a neglected
surgery patient who finds a Post-it note stuck on a medical monitor
saying there was a staff shortage because of new vacation rules.
Posters could be seen in train stations, airports and public places warning that more vacation would mean fewer jobs.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.