Some Swiss companies have given in to US demands to scrap inclusion policies; employees’ group demands a 2-percent wage increases in 2026; and more news in our Wednesday roundup.
Swiss companies give in to Donald Trump’s anti-diversity demands
The US president doesn’t believe in the notion of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI for short) in the United States or anywhere else in the world for that matter.
As though the 39-percent tariffs imposed on Swiss exports to the US are not damaging enough, Trump is reportedly also demanding that foreign companies which want to continue doing business in the United States must adopt this stance as well — a message that was conveyed to Switzerland’s businesses via the US Embassy in Bern.
According to media reports on Tuesday, “several Swiss corporations” have bowed to Trump’s pressure: UBS as well as pharmaceutical giants Roche and Novartis are among companies that have abolished specific targets for the advancement of women and minorities, removing any mention of DEI goals from their websites.
However, a recent analysis by Advance and the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability, and Inclusion shows that many Swiss companies (presumably those that don’t export to the US), “continue to anchor diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion in their HR and business strategies.”
Employees’ association demands a 2-percent wage increase for next year
Employees’ umbrella group Travailsuisse wants all workers to receive a 2-percent salary hike in 2026 to cover the rising living costs and make up for wage shortfalls of recent years.
In a press release on Tuesday, Travailsuisse argues that this raise is long overdue because real wages fell between 2021 and 2023 “to an extent unprecedented in the post-war period.”
Further, health insurance premiums rose between 5.4 and 8.1 percent between 2023 and 2025, and an increase of 4 percent is expected next year.
The goal of the higher pay is to maintain Swiss employees’ purchasing power, the organisation said.
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The Federal Council does not want to punish slow drivers if they don’t speed up
In June, MP Walter Gartmann submitted a motion in the parliament seeking to penalise ‘snail-speed’ motorists: police would send them signals while they are behind the wheel prompting them to drive faster.
If they don’t, they would be fined.
This measure would improve road safety, stop overtaking attempts by other drivers, and create fewer traffic jams, Gartmann argued.
The government, however, rejected the idea of penalising slow movers, saying “it is not mandatory to drive at a posted maximum speed.”
Further, “it would be difficult, from a technical and legal point of view, to implement such a measure,” the Federal Council said.
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Top Zurich university seeks donations of cat feces
You read it right: the federal polytechnic institute, ETH, in Zurich needs “highly specific samples for its new study on cat health and the hunting behaviour of felines in the Zurich region
A team of researchers also wants to investigate links between the animal’s lifestyle, its diet, and its gut microbiome, and then determine their influence on cats’ well-being.
Owners interested in the ‘ZüriCats’ project are invited to complete a detailed questionnaire and send in the required samples.
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