Cantonal referendum "For a salary restriction"
| Cantonal referendum | |
|---|---|
| "For a salary restriction" | |
| Result: | Declined |
| General | |
| Canton: | Lucerne |
| Date: | May 21, 2000 |
| Participation: | 53.16% |
| result | |
| Yes: | 46,604 (39.42%) |
| No: | 71,613 (60.58%) |
| Yes votes by district | |
|
|
The cantonal referendum “For a salary restriction” was a referendum in the Swiss canton of Lucerne that took place on May 21, 2000. The content of the vote was an annual remuneration limit of 180,000 francs for members of the authorities, civil servants and other public sector employees in the Canton of Lucerne.
Background and content
In the recession years 1991 to 1997, the canton of Lucerne recorded an annual deficit, which led to a mountain of debt of around CHF 2 billion and daily debt interest of over CHF 200,000. In order to counteract this situation, four people submitted their initiative «For a salary restriction» to the government council on August 20, 1998. The Grand Council unanimously rejected the initiative on November 22, 1999, making the initiative legally subject to a referendum. The government council gave as reasons for rejection:
- Which was concluded with a positive balance for the first time in 1998 and this would also be forecast for 1999. The austerity measures introduced in recent years were seen as sufficient and the salary restrictions demanded by the initiative as superfluous.
- With the initiative only about 1.8% of the total personnel costs could be saved
- That with a salary restriction, qualified civil servants could either emigrate to other cantons or switch to the private sector. In addition to this emigration, there was also the fear that they would no longer be able to find suitable applicants for future employment and that the willingness to perform and work motivation would generally decline. Due to the particularly strong impact in the medical field (see table), this was seen as endangered in the event of an initiative being accepted.
- The initiative does not comply with the law, as it would only affect a group of employees, which contradicts the requirement of legal equality enshrined in the federal constitution. If the initiative is accepted, wages with an annual salary below CHF 180,000 would inevitably have to be reduced.
- The wages of the Lucerne magistrates are already in the lower range when compared to other cantons
To make things clearer, the government council published a table in its report to those entitled to vote, which shows the effect a salary restriction of 180,000 francs would have had in 1998:
| Savings in Fr. | Area | Number of people affected |
|---|---|---|
| 12.2 million | Medical profession | 91 |
| 0.5 million | Government officials and judges | 26th |
| 0.3 million | Chief officials | 12 |
Voting result
The initiative received the highest rejection in the Lucerne Office with only 38% yes votes. The Entlebuch office had the highest turnout as well as the highest approval for the initiative (43% yes-votes) among the offices. The initiative was rejected with a cantonal average of 39.4% yes-votes.
| Office | Voting participation | Yes (number) | No (number) | Yes (percent) | No (percent) | adoption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entlebuch | 60.51% | 3,303 | 4,357 | 43.12% | 56.88% | No |
| Hochdorf | 51.44% | 7,970 | 11'236 | 41.50% | 58.50% | No |
| Lucerne | 52.30% | 20,382 | 33,183 | 38.05% | 61.95% | No |
| Sursee | 54.16% | 8,580 | 12,943 | 39.86% | 60.14% | No |
| Willisau | 53.81% | 6,369 | 9,894 | 39.16% | 60.84% | No |
| Total (5) | 53.16% | 46,604 | 71,613 | 39.42% | 60.58% | No |
Initiative text
Based on Section 41bis of the State Constitution, the initiators submit the following request in the form of the elaborated draft and request that the personnel law be supplemented with the following statutory provision:
Limitation of salaries
Members of authorities or offices, civil servants and employees may not be paid any salaries, other allowances or allowances that exceed CHF 180,000 per year, without the future inflation allowances.