Equal pay initiative in Aargau: overwhelming defeat for the left!

Equal pay initiative in Aargau: overwhelming defeat for the left!

On May 18, 2025, the canton of Aargau had a decisive vote on the popular initiative “Equal wages in the canton of Aargau – now!” as well as the tax law revision. Despite the efforts of the SP, the Greens and trade unions, the equal pay initiative was rejected in almost all communities. Loud Zofinger Tagblatt There was a disappointing result with 62.8 percent of votes against the initiative, which was accompanied by a voter turnout of 31.6 percent and counted 50,678 yes votes compared to 85,637 no votes.

In the city of Aarau, however, the result was closer: there was a draw with 2,912 yes and 2,912 no votes. Trade unionist and SP city councilor Silvia Dell'Aquila expressed disappointment given the overall result, but expressed her joy at the support in Aarau. She expressed her criticism of the opponent committee, which she blamed for misinformation and uncritical media reporting.

The initiative in detail

The initiative, which was submitted on June 12, 2024 with 3,281 valid signatures, called for mandatory wage analyzes for companies with 50 or more employees and the restoration of a cantonal specialist office for equal opportunities. This specialist office would have been positioned as a control and reporting office. Currently, salary analyzes are only mandatory for companies with more than 100 employees, in accordance with the national equal opportunities law. The initiative was supported by various organizations, including the Aargau trade union umbrella organization, women's organizations, the SP and the Greens.

Opponents of the initiative argued that such regulations could lead to bureaucracy and have a negative impact on Aargau as a business location. Andreas Rüegger, campaign manager for the Aargau Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AIHK), noted that the wage structure analysis was a Swiss-wide matter. His boss, AIHK director Beat Bechtold, recognized that there could be wage discrimination in certain companies, especially in female-dominated professions, but advocated against the initiative overall.

Political reactions

The government council, represented by mayor Dieter Egli, also took note of the vote result and recommended rejecting the initiative. Egli pointed out that the wage gap between men and women has almost halved in recent years. The FDP argued that the initiative would create a state of idleness and that bureaucracy would not lead to more equality. “We advocate incentives and measures to promote equality instead of bureaucratic regulations,” said FDP party president Sabina Freiermuth.

The initiative was not only controversial among the population, but was also rejected in the cantonal parliament with 97 no to 35 yes. Even though the initiative failed, Sabine Sutter-Suter, President of the Aargau Equality Association, announced that she would continue to fight for a state contact point for equality issues. “We will not stop fighting for equal pay,” she emphasized.

The initiative's supporters will now have to concentrate on the next steps in order to continue to represent their goals in the political discourse. This will by no means end the discussion about equal pay, poverty in old age and the financial disadvantage of women. How Aargauer Zeitung As noted, the social pressure for equality has at least not decreased, and the initiators are likely to remain present in the political arena with their concerns in the future.