Swiss vote down added vacation time

BERN, Switzerland — Swiss polls closed Sunday on several national referendums, including one pushed by a union to raise the minimum paid vacation from four weeks to the standard six weeks used in Germany, Italy, Russia and other European nations.

The Swiss heeded warnings from government and business that more vacation would raise labor costs and put the economy at risk. Swiss public broadcaster SSR said two-thirds of voters and each of the nation’s 26 cantons, or states, had rejected the measure, which required majority approval of all federal and cantonal voters.

Hans-ulrich Bigler, director of the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts, said in a statement that the referendum could have added $6.52 billion a year in labor costs to the Swiss economy.

Voters also decided that no more than a fifth of each community’s housing can be sold for second homes. About 12 percent or 500,000 homes nationwide are estimated to be used as getaways, rather than full-year abodes. The referendum was championed by environmental groups intent on keeping a lid on the use of natural resources and rising property prices.

In Geneva, home to the European U.N. headquarters and frequent demonstrations, voters passed tighter restrictions on demonstrations and steep fines of up to $110,000 on protesters who don’t get prior permission or adhere to rules.