Vaud enshrines minimum wage in constitution but rejects both implementing laws, opening a legislative void

A paradoxical vote

The ballot produced a distinctly Swiss outcome: the constitutional initiative "For the right to live decently from one's work" was accepted with 49.1% of valid votes, against 45.8% opposition and over 5% blank ballots. Yet the accompanying legislative text, which would have set a minimum hourly wage of 23 francs ($28.7) and detailed enforcement mechanisms, was rejected with only 47.4% support. The cantonal government's counter-proposal, which kept the same wage but gave priority to collective bargaining agreements and carved out several exceptions, fared even worse, failing narrowly at 46.7% in favour. Turnout was 54% according to several sources, although one report noted that participation on this specific item was just 42.3%.

What happens next

The constitutional provision is now "set in stone," in the words of Arnaud Bouverat, co-chair of the initiative support committee, but without an adopted law the new right has no immediate practical effect. The government must now draft a legal framework from scratch. Bouverat called the outcome "a first symbolic victory, even if it doesn't yet bring anything concrete" and signaled openness to talks with the cantonal executive, particularly on transition periods for sectors covered by collective agreements and possible exemptions.

With its introduction in the constitution, the minimum wage is now set in stone.

The government, for its part, said it regretted the narrow defeat of its counter-proposal and announced it would first analyse the reasons behind the vote before consulting social partners. Its stated aim is to "explore possible avenues" for implementing the new constitutional norm and to draft "a proposal capable of securing broad consensus."

We regret the narrow rejection of our counter-proposal.

Switzerland's minimum-wage patchwork

Vaud's vote fits into a broader national trend. Five cantons had already introduced a statutory minimum wage before Sunday: Neuchâtel (2017, 20 francs), Jura (2018, 20 francs), Geneva (2020, initially 23 and later 24 francs), Ticino (2021, between 18.75 and 19.25 francs) and Basel-Stadt (2021, 21 francs). A federal-level proposal that also prioritises collective agreements has passed both chambers of parliament but is not yet law. Vaud thus becomes the latest canton to adopt the principle, even if the details remain unwritten.

A legislative puzzle

The vote structure itself contributed to the outcome. Voters had to fill in four separate boxes, a complexity that one commentator likened to a La Fontaine fable. The legislative initiative was linked to the constitutional text, so it could only take effect if the constitutional amendment passed, but the reverse was not true. The rejection of the only two detailed proposals leaves the canton in a situation where the constitution commands a minimum wage but no one yet knows exactly what that wage will be, which sectors will be covered or how it will be enforced. Lawmakers now face the delicate task of crafting a bill that can survive another popular vote.