Swiss Review 5/2018

Swiss Review / September 2018 / No.5 27 Federal referendums Proposals submitted to a popular vote are determined by the Federal Council at least four months before the voting date. The following proposals will be put to the vote on 25 November 2018: ■ ■ Popular initiative of 23March 2016 “For the dignity of agricultural animals (The Horned Cow Initiative)” ■ ■ Popular initiative of 12 August 2016 “Swiss law instead of foreign judges (Self-Determination Initiative)” ■ ■ Amendment of 16March 2018 to the Federal Act onGeneral Aspects of Social Security Law (GSSLA) (Statutory basis for monitoring claimants) Voting dates in 2019: 10 February, 19 May, 20 October, 24 November All information on the proposals (voting pamphlets, committees, recommen- dations by parliament and the Federal Council, electronic voting, etc.) can be found at www.admin.ch/ votes. Popular initiatives The following federal popular initiatives had been launched at the time of go- ing to press (deadline for the collection of signatures in brackets): ■ ■ “No to factory farming in Switzerland (Factory Farming Initiative)” (12 De- cember 2019) ■ ■ “Occupational pensions – work instead of poverty” (10 January 2020) The list of pending popular initiatives can be found in German at www.bk.admin.ch > Politische Rechte > Volksinitiativen > Hängige Volksini- tiativen Consular services anywhere, conveniently on your mobile devices Siena (2018) www.fdfa.admin.ch © Lorenzo Barelli These three examples examples help to illustrate the new legislation. Example 1: Ms Meier was in South Africa for eight months working in a hotel. Before she left, she was a hotel director in Switzerland. After the eight months she returned to Switzerland. But she has not found any work yet. Can she apply for unemployment benefits? Answer: Yes, because Ms Meier can claim 12 months of employment subject to contributions in Switzerland. However, she needs to apply within four months of her return. Otherwise, the 12 months of work will no longer be within the 24-month period. Example 2: After 30 years of working as a teacher, Ms Muster decides to go on a trip around the world. She travels throughout South America for one year, ultimately settling down in Argentina. There she takes up work as a teacher. After 10 months she returns to Switzerland and is now looking for a job. On her return, does Ms Muster fulfill the prescribed conditions of the unemployment act? Answer: No, since there were not enough months of gainful employment abroad within the past 24 months. Ms. Muster would only be entitled to unemployment benefits, if she had been working twelve months in Argentina, and in addition to that – either before her trip or after her return – if she was employed for six months in Switzerland. Example 3: Mr Müller lived in Brazil. He had been working there for three years. Now he has decided to return to Switzerland. The job search is proving difficult, and Mr Müller cannot find a job immediately. Can he claim unemployment benefits? Answer: Not immediately. Mr. Müller needs to have employment subject to contributions in Switzerland for at least six months within a year of his return and prior to registering with the unemployment insurance. Responsible for the FDFA official communications: Simone Flubacher, Relations with the Swiss Abroad Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. +41 800 24 7 365 or +41 58 465 33 33 www.eda.admin.ch , email: helpline@eda.admin.ch