They agreed in a referendum to grant a bonus to retirees

Citizens of Swiss Local newspapers reported that representatives agreed on Sunday in a referendum to establish a Christmas bonus for retirees and rejected increasing the retirement age from 65 to 66 years.

The granting of the bonus starting in the year 2026 obtained the necessary two majorities: The percentage of votes received was 58.2%, and the percentage of votes in the cantons in 15 out of 26 regions, according to the news portal Swiss Info.

instead of74.7% of voters rejected the initiative to raise the minimum retirement age from 65 to 66 years.

He participated in the referendum 58% of the recordWhich the portal described as a reflection of the “tremendous interest” it aroused. “The social compact in our country continues to work; this is a great message to all those who have worked all their lives,” celebrated the president of the Swiss Trade Union Confederation, Pierre-Yves Maillard, in comments to state television RTS.

“We are doing something for ordinary people,” said Social Democratic MP Samuel Bendahan, adding that in a rich country like Switzerland, “everyone should be able to benefit from prosperity.”

Those who advocated the creation of the bonus emphasized that it was available, necessary and urgent, in contrast to centre-right parties and mainstream business organisations, which judged it to be unsound from a financial point of view.

The government and parliament officially opposed this initiative

Executive He argued that the reward would cost just over $4.5 billion annuallyWhich may lead to increased taxes and threaten the financial stability of the social security system.

On the other hand, the initiative to raise the retirement age is part of the efforts made by many European countries to find solutions to the problem caused by population aging.

Swiss citizens have repeatedly rejected initiatives to raise the retirement age, which has not changed since the introduction of state pensions in 1948.

Voters against raising the retirement age say seniors already have difficulty finding work, and raising the retirement age could make the situation worse.

Life expectancy in Switzerland is currently one of the highest in the world. According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, a Swiss man born in 2022 can expect to live 81.6 years and women 85.4 years.