Teachers in the canton of Vaud have intensified their strike over the canton’s austerity plan, forcing the closure of numerous schools and disrupting classes for weeks, reported SRF. The canton faces a sizeable deficit in its 2026 budget, prompting the government to introduce a package of cost-cutting measures.
Christelle Luisier Brodard, the finance minister and current president of the cantonal government, defended the plan on Radio RTS: Vaud has lost CHF 380m in anticipated profit distributions from the Swiss National Bank; hosting Ukrainian refugees has cost a further CHF 100m; and inflation-linked adjustments have added CHF 270m. Rising health-insurance subsidies are also weighing heavily on the budget.
The most contentious measure is a one-off “crisis contribution” of 0.7% of gross salary for most public-sector employees in 2026, intended to save about CHF 50m. The levy is broadly applied, though, because base salaries are rising through inflation and cost of living adjustments, roughly 85% of employees will see no fall in net income. Public-sector pay in Vaud is already higher on average than in the private sector—the median monthly salary is CHF 7,671 versus CHF 6,422—although much of this reflects the different mix of occupations.
Unions nonetheless denounce the contribution as a breach of trust and a step towards further austerity. Protest action has been strongest in education and healthcare. Teachers have staged repeated walkouts, sometimes for several days at a time, and plan further strikes in the weeks ahead. The government insists the one-off salary cut is needed to restore fiscal stability.
The disruption is beginning to worry pupils, particularly those facing key examinations, as uncertainty grows over how prolonged strike action might affect their final grades.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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