Minimum Wage Initiative Put To The Test; Baby Hippo Thrives At Zoo; Vaccine Surplus Emerges

News For 8 June 2021

This upcoming Sunday, the citizens of Basel Stadt will vote on whether or not to introduce a mandatory minimum wage. Proponents of the initiative propose CHF 23 per hour, while the Cantonal Government has advised that they prefer a minimum of CHF 21. If the referendum does pass, some categories of workers will not benefit from the minimum. Specifically, interns, seasonal workers and students doing holiday work will not be eligible to demand the minimum wage under either the proposal or counterproposal. The sponsors of the initiative estimate that up to 10% of Basel's workforce earn less than CHF 4000 per month.

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Last month, a baby hippo named Serena was born in the Basel Zoo. The parents were 29-year-old Helvetia and 30-year-old Wilhelm, both long-time residents of the zoo. It wasn't until a few days ago that the baby hippo wandered out of its indoor protective enclosure to the outdoor pools near the African Animals House. The International Union For the Conservation Of Nature estimates that only 125-150’000 hippos still live in the wild.

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It seems just a few weeks ago that people in Switzerland were complaining about the slow pace of vaccination relative to other developed nations. In a sudden turnaround, however, according to the federal government, there are now many unused and available vaccination appointments. The authorities are striving for a 75% vaccination rate, where they estimate that 40% have received one dose, and 25% are fully vaccinated. It seems the government is not yet ready to suggest that people are avoiding vaccinations which would prevent the immunization target, rather that a large shipment of vaccines has created a surplus.