Civil service in Switzerland

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The civil service in Switzerland is the alternative military service in Switzerland . Since 1992 the constitution has provided for alternative civilian service instead of military service . In 1996, the associated civil service law came into force. Until then, several hundred conscientious objectors were serving several months' imprisonment every year. The introduction of community service was required for decades.

Civil service fulfills the following basic tasks: As a civil alternative service to military service, it solves the problem of conscientious objection to military service. It also provides civil services in the public interest where resources are lacking or inadequate for the fulfillment of important community tasks. For this, he recognizes operational companies that use Zivis according to defined specifications. Finally, the civil service provides civilian services within the framework of security policy.

Admission process

By April 1, 2009, those obliged to serve in the military who did not want to do military service for reasons of conscience had to submit a written request with a detailed explanation of their conflict of conscience. This was followed by a personal hearing before a civil commission. This procedure has not been in force since then. Only those who are fit for military service can submit an application and be admitted to community service. Nowadays, military or civil servants can reaffirm their conflict of conscience by filling out a form. Since then, 1.5 times the length of service has been considered evidence.

Applicants apply for approval via the E-ZIVI service portal. After registering in E-ZIVI, you can submit your application electronically. As soon as the application has been submitted, the applicant must attend an introductory day during which he is informed about the rules of community service. If applicants have attended the induction day, they must confirm within two weeks that they want to adhere to their application and be admitted to community service.

In 2019, the Federal Council wanted to make admission to community service more difficult because it saw the armed forces' numbers at risk from the many changes to community service. However, this revision of the Civil Service Act failed in the final vote in the National Council in June 2020. The referendum against this tightening was announced earlier.

Length of service

The civil service takes 1.5 times the remaining military service. It is mainly carried out in the health and social sector as well as in environmental protection . In addition, foreign assignments in development cooperation are possible. Anyone who refuses to do community service (so-called "total denial") will be convicted by the civil law enforcement authorities.

Calls

Community service providers plan their assignments independently beyond the legal requirements. The civil service portal for civil service (E-ZIVI) , an online database that enables the search for open specification sheets, is available to civil servants to search for an operational company. There are currently over 5,000 recognized operations. The community service provider applies independently to the deployment company. For some requirement specifications, a completed basic course, a degree or an apprenticeship in a certain subject is a condition.

Rules of engagement

All ordered service days must be completed before the ordinary discharge. Early discharge is only possible in the event of permanent civil incapacity for work (e.g. at least 70% IV disability level). If the person performing community service does not agree on the deployment himself, a fee-based contingent is officially ordered, in which the place and time of the deployment is determined by the civil service enforcement agency.

Anyone who has passed the recruiting school must do their first assignment of 54 days (corresponds to an assignment of 8 weeks) at the latest in the year following the legally binding admission. There is no obligation for a long deployment.

Anyone who has not attended the recruiting school or has not fully completed it must do their first assignment of 26 days (corresponds to an assignment of 4 weeks) at the latest in the year following the legally binding admission. He also has to work for 180 days until the end of the third year after approval.

The minimum period of use is 26 days per assignment. If fewer than 26 creditable service days are worked per year, the compulsory military service is due.

The long commitment

The long service is primarily carried out in a priority program.

Training courses

If the requirement specification requires it and if an assignment of at least 54 days is performed, the community service provider attends a corresponding training course. Those who complete a long assignment of 180 days or more in the health and social sector also attend an additional week of courses.

The training courses are organized by the civil service in its training center in Schwarzsee (FR). The courses usually last 5 days (Monday to Friday).

Operations companies

The host companies must be based in Switzerland, act in the public interest and be an institution under public law or a non-profit private or mixed-economy institution. Agricultural businesses are the exception. Furthermore, the business must work in one of the areas of community service.

Areas of activity

All specifications are classified in one of the following eight categories:

  • Healthcare
  • Social affairs
  • School system
  • Preservation of cultural assets
  • Environmental and nature protection, landscape management and forests
  • Agriculture
  • Development cooperation and humanitarian aid
  • Prevention and management of disasters and emergencies as well as regeneration after such events

Priority Program (SPP)

The civil service concentrates the effect of the operations in priority programs, where there is a need for action and a lack of resources in the public interest. Civil servants who have not passed the recruiting school do their long civil service deployment of at least six months (180 days) in an SPP.

There are two SPPs:

Care and support

This includes the care and support of other people. Typical locations are hospitals, old people's homes, homes and workshops for the disabled, schools, crèches and asylum homes. The requirement specification must contain a share of at least 30% of nursing or care tasks. This refers to activities in direct contact with the people to be looked after.

Environment and nature protection

This includes the topics of environmental, nature and landscape protection, preservation of the biodiversity of fauna and flora or prevention work to prevent damage from natural disasters. The specification must contain at least 30% field, factual or scientific work that has a direct impact on one of the above-mentioned subject areas.

Civil service clothing

Civilian service providers can wear civilian clothes for identification purposes. You order the dresses via the online shop. Payment is made via a points account, the amount of which depends on the working days to be performed.

numbers

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total
Applications for authorization 867 1,631 1,313 1,352 1,619 1'906 2,102 1'955 1'805 1,656 1,752 1,727 1,948 7'222 7,391 5,800 6,404 6,561 48'450
Totally decide 107 1,260 1,365 1'996 1'401 1,769 2,029 2,410 1,811 1,666 1,758 1,681 1,871 6,969 7,153 35,246
Approvals 96 960 1,034 1,619 1,175 1,394 1,651 1'967 1'518 1,382 1,441 1,463 1,632 6,720 6,826 4,670 5,139 5'423 5,757 5'836 6169 63,872
Rejections 8th 178 159 181 105 195 185 223 114 109 94 75 66 - 1,684
Do not enter 1 68 111 127 87 125 135 154 131 139 172 103 112 164 247 1,876
Retreats 2 54 61 69 34 55 58 66 48 36 51 37 74 63 120 828
Rejection rate 7.7% 15.6% 13.3% 10.0% 8.2% 12.5% 9.5% 10.2% 7.3% 7.3% 6.1% 4.9% 3.9% - - 8.9%
combined non-entry
/ withdrawal rate 		2.8% 9.7% 12.6% 9.8% 8.6% 10.2% 9.5% 9.1% 9.9% 10.5% 12.7% 8.3% 9.9% 3.3% 5.1% 7.7%
Number of employers 634 610 636 831 983 1,080 1,173 1'221 1,377 1,482 1'606 1,751 1,892 2,043 2,506 3,078 3,527 3,896 -
Number of working places unknown unknown unknown 3,029 3,544 4,109 4,509 4,401 4,266 4,832 5'216 5,570 6,052 6,593 8,627 10,829 12,176 13,395 -
Days of civil service performed 11,524 48,915 105,093 159,010 205,743 213,227 286,297 325,181 325,057 330'608 337,392 356,653 396,959 532,601 878,088 1,085,528 1,179,323 1,334,000 1,492,000 1,620,000 1,708,000 12,931,199
Total expenditure
(in CHF million) 		5.7 3.9 4.5 5.7 5.8 6.8 8.8 12.1 12.3 11.2 11.2 13.0 13.8 17.1 18.5 150.4
Taxes on operational companies
(in CHF million) 		- - - 0.6 0.8 0.8 1.1 1.3 2.2 3.5 3.2 4.2 4.2 5.5 9.6 37

Source: Statistics ZIVI

Representation of interests

The civil service association CIVIVA has been committed to strengthening and maintaining civil service in Switzerland since 2010.

literature

  • Ruedi Winet: Doing something useful - Handbook for community service . Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-85791-449-1 .
  • Civil service - a contemporary witness / Service civil - Un témoin / Servizio civile - Una testimonianza, Verlag GSZ 2006, ISBN 978-2-8399-0224-3
  • Execution Office for Community Service: 20 Years of Community Service in Stories, 1996–2016, Bern 2017

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Swiss Civil Service Act
  2. ^ History of community service in Switzerland ( Memento from August 1, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  3. ↑ Execution agency for civil service ZIVI: Basic duties of the civil service. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  4. ↑ official application form for admission to community service ( Memento from May 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Enforcement agency for civilian service ZIVI: Submit applications and approval process. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  6. ↑ 19.020 Federal Act on Alternative Civilian Service. Modification. In: parlament.ch. Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Official Bulletin. Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Higher hurdles for community service fail in parliament. In: sda. tagblatt.ch, June 19, 2020, accessed on July 7, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Execution office for civil service ZIVI: facts and figures. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Execution body for civil service ZIVI: rules. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Enforcement agency for civil service ZIVI: Compulsory military service. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Enforcement agency for civil service ZIVI: training courses. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Execution office for civil service ZIVI: The requirements. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Enforcement agency for civil service ZIVI: areas of activity. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Enforcement agency for civil service ZIVI: Priority programs . Retrieved March 27, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Execution office for civil service ZIVI: facts and figures. Retrieved March 27, 2018 .