Supreme Court allows Zurich and Winterthur to introduce local minimum wage

The Federal Supreme Court, the highest legal authority in Switzerland, has ruled that Zurich and Winterthur can introduce a municipal minimum wage (kommunalen Mindestlohn) after the proposal was previously suspended.

Zurich and Winterthur to introduce new minimum wage

Workers in the cities of Zurich and Winterthur are set to benefit from a new local minimum wage. In Zurich, the minimum wage will be set at 23,90 Swiss francs per hour, and in Winterthur it will be 23 francs per hour.

The date from which the new wage will apply has not yet been confirmed. People working in low-wage sectors such as retail, hospitality and cleaning will benefit the most from the change, reports Watson. This is around 20.000 residents who “urgently needed wage increases”, according to the Social Democratic Party (SP).

Voters already accepted minimum wage proposal

The debate about whether or not the two cities can introduce a minimum wage goes back to 2023, when over 65 percent of voters voted to introduce one. However, despite the proposal's success, an administrative court then ruled that introducing a minimum wage in a city would go against cantonal law, and the proposal must be overturned. 

The debate was subsequently taken to the Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgericht), with the result of the recent ruling meaning that the minimum wage will go ahead. The city of Zurich “welcomes” the ruling, continued Watson. 

In a press release, covered by 20 Minuten, the court stated that “[It can] be assumed that, due to their familiarity with local conditions and their proximity to those affected, the cities concerned can combat in-work poverty just as effectively with their minimum wage regulations as the canton.”

Serge Gnos, co-leader of the Zurich-Schaffhausen trade union Unia, said that the announcement was a “historic decision” and that it is likely that the “cities are ready and things will now move quickly”. The ruling may also have a “signal effect on other cities” where minimum wages could also be introduced.

Minimum wage varies across Switzerland

A minimum wage in Switzerland does not currently exist at a national level and, in fact, voters decided against introducing one back in 2014.

At a cantonal level, Basel-Stadt, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel and Ticino all have their own minimum wage laws. The cases of Zurich and Winterthur were the first to propose a minimum wage at a local level but Lucerne has since become the first to implement one at the beginning of 2026. Bern, Biel and Schaffhausen are set to follow soon.