Switzerland pushes for minimum wage of $25 per hour, highest in the world ...

Jasmin Eicher has already axed her sole full-time employee to keep afloat her shop selling cards, candles and paper in a Zurich suburb. If Switzerland approves what would be the world's highest minimum wage, she says the only option would be to close her door.

The Swiss will vote in a national referendum on May 18 on whether to create a minimum wage of 22 francs ($25) per hour, or 4,000 francs a month. While about 90 per cent of workers in Switzerland already earn more than that, employ ..

"We couldn't pay it," said Eicher. The employee she let go earned 3,500 francs a month. Now she's by herself, working 10 hours a day, six days a week. "Of course I understand about people not earning enough, but not everyone is worth 4,000 francs. Here in Switzerland we're already so well-off," she said.

The chief backers of the proposal are Switzerland's biggest trade unions, which argue that pay levels need to reflect the country's prices — among the world's highest. A poll by researcher gfs.bern released April 11 said 52 per cent of voters may reject it, while Leger research firm last month found the same percentage would vote yes. Full story...

Related posts:

1. I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job...
2. Swiss seem happiest with their lives..
3. Why Switzerland has some of the healthiest, happiest people in the world...
4. Fury as high-rolling bankers’ pay rockets by 35%...
5. Which countries treat their workers best? Switzerland, Finland, Singapore...