In 2022, Swiss voted to increase the official retirement age of women from 64 to 65, bringing it into line with the age for men. Later, an error was found in some of the numbers presented to voters to justify the change. After the error was revealed, the Socialist and Green parties asked Switzerland’s highest court to overturn the vote because of these erroneous figures. This week, the court rejected the complaint, reported RTS.
The federal court’s judges, consisting of two women and three men, said that the consequences of repealing the vote would be difficult to predict from a legal persective. The increase in VAT to help fund state pensions that was accepted by voters alongside the rise in retirement age is already underway. A refund would not be possible and without the legal changes that followed the vote, the higher VAT rate would be rendered illegal. In addition, numerous administrative changes have been made by employers and employees that would be difficult to reverse.
Essentially, the change has been made and reversing it would be problematic legally.
The two parties on the left and the unions who put forward the complaint were disappointed by the decision. Women will be cheated out of a year of their pension, said the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, describing the decision as cowardly.
The error does not change the big picture. Switzerland’s population is aging, which means the ratio of retired people to workers is rising. Eventually, more money will need to be found if the retirement age remains unchanged.
In March 2024, another referendum aimed at state pensions organised by parties on the left found a majority. This one increased the quantum of state pension payments by 1/13. Any savings made from extending the official pension age of women by one year will be swamped by the extra cost of this.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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