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Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Airplane tickets are becoming more expensive. Image by Joshua Woroniecki from Pixabay

Health Minister announces 'above-average' hikes in health insurance premiums; how some employees try to get higher wages; and other Swiss news in our roundup on Tuesday.

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Health premiums will increase — but it’s not yet known by how much

While it is almost certain by now that health insurance prices will go up again in 2024, the exact amount has not yet been determined.

In an interview with the Tages Anzeiger newspaper, Health Minister Alain Berset has not ruled out an "above-average" hike.

However, it is still too early to know by how much the premiums will rise, he said. The prices that consumers will pay next year will be revealed in October.  

The figure depends on many factors, including the soaring healthcare costs.

READ ALSO: Why is Swiss health insurance set to get more expensive? 

Swiss army biscuits to be marketed to civilians as well

For years, the Swiss military has been chomping down on its own cookies, appropriately called 'Military Biscuits'.

The company which manufactures them, Kambly SA in canton Bern, has just received the green light from the Defence Ministry to market these biscuits for civilian use as well, the government announced on Monday. 

They will be available to general public under the “Swiss Military” brand, with the profits from the sale “flowing into the Federal Treasury,” according to the official press release.

The biscuits will join other Swiss Military-branded products like watches, as well as the famous Swiss army knife.

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Swiss workers pressure employers for a raise

A new phenomenon called ‘loud quitting’ is emerging on Switzerland’s labour market: taking advantage of the shortages of qualified workers, employees reportedly threaten to quit their jobs unless they get a raise.

However, “as a rule, only workers who are in high-demand sectors and who would immediately find another job make use of this tactic,” according to a labour market expert Matthias Mölleney.

This kind of brazen attitude could, however, backfire, Mölleney pointed out: employers could consider such behaviour disloyal and go as far as fire the demanding employees.

READ ALSO: What Swiss employers are doing to recruit hard-to-find staff

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Air travel to become even more expensive

If you have taken a plane recently, you have no doubt noticed that the cost of flying has increased quite a bit.

It has gone up not only as a result of the post-pandemic recovery and rising fuel prices, but also in the wake of climate protection measures.

"In the medium and long term, we expect airline tickets to become more expensive, as efforts in favour of sustainable development involve high investments and costs," according to Meike Fuhlrott, spokesperson for SWISS airline.

Stéphane Jayet, the vice-president of the Swiss Travel Federation (FSV), the umbrella group for travel agencies, confirms that “over the next five to ten years, air carriers will have to invest massively to achieve their climate goals."

This means that passengers “will benefit from these technological developments, but they will have to pay higher prices for them." 
 
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
 
 

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