Glarus Landsgemeinde: Austerity and Environment on the Ballot

Context

In brief

• Cross-border workers pay Swiss taxes and social contributions but cannot vote in the referendums that shape their working conditions.
• Every Swiss federal or cantonal vote can directly affect wages, permit rules, or labour regulations.
• The Landsgemeinde in Glarus is the most vivid image of Swiss direct democracy — and of the line that separates those who participate from those who watch.

On the first Sunday of May 2026, a few thousand citizens gathered outdoors in the main square of Glarus, raised their hands, and decided the future of their canton. Twelve items on the ballot, from a 5.7-million-franc austerity package to affordable housing quotas. No voting booth, no paper: just the voice and hand of those entitled to raise it. The Landsgemeinde — an open-air democratic assembly that dates back to 1387 — survives only in Glarus and Appenzell Innerrhoden. It is a spectacle that someone living in Italy who crosses the border every morning to work in Ticino can watch and admire. But cannot influence in any way.

This is the paradox at the heart of the cross-border worker's life: making a substantial contribution to the Swiss economy — paying withholding taxes, AVS contributions, and often LAMal premiums — with no right to vote in any of the democratic processes that govern working conditions. Switzerland votes on average four times a year. Each vote can touch issues that directly affect cross-border workers: sectoral minimum wages, working-time regulations, permit-G conditions, bilateral agreements with the EU, and taxation of employment income.

What Switzerland votes on and why it matters for cross-border workers

Switzerland's direct democracy system offers three main tools: the mandatory referendum (for constitutional amendments), the optional referendum (for parliamentary laws, if 50,000 signatures are collected within 100 days), and the popular initiative (to propose constitutional changes with 100,000 signatures in 18 months). Cantonal mechanisms work similarly.

For a cross-border worker, the most relevant votes concern the labour market, taxation, and relations with the EU. In recent years, ballots have covered topics such as the 2014 initiative "against mass immigration" (which temporarily complicated bilateral negotiations), accompanying measures on wage conditions for posted workers, and various cantonal initiatives on minimum wages. In Ticino, the canton hosting the vast majority of Italian cross-border workers, specific cantonal votes have addressed local labour-market issues. Cross-border workers bore the consequences of those choices without contributing to them.

Checklist for cross-border workers

1. Monitor the federal and cantonal voting calendar (admin.ch): identify items touching the labour market, taxation, and permits. 2. Stay informed via trade unions (OCST, UNIA) and employer associations, which publish analyses of initiatives relevant to cross-border workers. 3. Engage with unions on sensitive campaigns: these organisations have a voice in Swiss public debate on behalf of non-voters too.

Operational details

Rights cross-border workers have — and those they don't

The distinction matters. Cross-border workers on a permit G enjoy broad labour protection in Switzerland, largely equivalent to that of residents: the Code of Obligations, collective labour agreements (CLAs), the Labour Act, and the Posted Workers Act apply regardless of nationality or place of residence. Sectoral minimum wages set by CLAs bind employers who hire cross-border workers. In case of accident or illness, mandatory LAINF insurance covers cross-border workers exactly as it covers resident colleagues. AVS and AI contributions paid in Switzerland entitle workers to a Swiss pension calculated on years of contribution.

What cross-border workers cannot do is participate in popular votes and federal, cantonal, or municipal elections in Switzerland. They cannot sign referendums or initiatives. Tax residency remains in Italy (for cross-border workers in Ticino, withholding tax paid in Switzerland is credited against Italian tax under the double-taxation agreement of 1976, revised in 2023). Voting rights are reserved for Swiss citizens, whether resident in Switzerland or abroad.

The path to Swiss citizenship — and therefore to voting rights — is long. Ordinary naturalisation generally requires ten years of residence in Switzerland, including at least three of the last five. A permit-G holder is not a Swiss resident for purposes of the nationality law: cross-border workers must first obtain a permit B (actual domicile in Switzerland), accumulate the required years, and then begin the procedure, which includes a language exam, a civic-knowledge test, and an integration check. Costs vary by canton but average between 500 and 2,000 francs, excluding possible additional cantonal fees.

Practical scenarios

Scenario A — Cross-border worker with permit G: has worked in Ticino for fifteen years, pays withholding tax and AVS contributions, but is resident in Como. Has never had legal residence in Switzerland. Cannot vote in any Swiss election or referendum. To acquire voting rights, must first transfer legal residence to Switzerland (permit B), wait for ten cumulative years of residence, then apply for naturalisation. The process takes an average of twelve to seventeen years from a hypothetical move.

Scenario B — Former cross-border worker who moved to Switzerland: after years on a permit G, took up residence in Lugano on a permit B. Residence years run from that point. After five years in Ticino (or ten overall in Switzerland), can apply for naturalisation. Must demonstrate knowledge of Italian (the canton's language), social integration, and a clean criminal record. Once naturalised, has full voting rights — including at the Landsgemeinde, if ever moving to Glarus.

The practical difference between these two scenarios is measured in decades. For the great majority of Italian cross-border workers heading to Ticino, Swiss voting rights remain a distant goal or simply one not pursued.

Key points

How to stay informed and make your voice heard

Being unable to vote does not mean being without channels to influence policy. Cross-border workers can act on several fronts.

Trade unions and associations. OCST (Organizzazione Cristiano Sociale Ticinese), UNIA, and Ticino employer associations actively participate in pre-vote debates and publish official positions. CGIL, CISL, and UIL in the provinces of Como, Varese, and VCO also follow Swiss votes that affect cross-border workers. Joining a union active in both countries is the most direct way to get quality information and contribute to shaping the public positions of organisations that have a voice in Swiss political debate.

Media and institutional resources. The Federal Chancellery website (admin.ch) publishes all voting documents in Italian, including the voting booklet that summarises each item. RSI (Radiotelevisione della Svizzera italiana) provides thorough coverage of every ballot with particular attention to Ticino. The RSI Quotidiano is freely accessible from Italy.

Engagement in Italian municipalities. Cross-border workers are full Italian residents with the right to vote in Italian political, regional, and municipal elections. Border municipalities (Como, Varese, Luino, Domodossola) have every interest in representing cross-border workers' needs to Rome — starting with the tax agreement, transport infrastructure toward the border, and cross-border mobility.

Regulatory references

• CH-IT Cross-border Workers Agreement (1974, updated with the new fiscal agreement 2023, in force from 1 January 2024)
• Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (AIG)
• Swiss Citizenship Act (BüG, SR 141.0)
• Collective labour agreements applicable in Ticino

Useful tools

Before any decision about your employment situation in Switzerland, it is worth simulating your actual net income including all contributions: use the cross-border worker salary calculator to compare your net income taking into account withholding taxes, social contributions, and the CHF-EUR exchange rate.

News source: tio.ch