Pay equity in Ticino's public sector: next steps (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• More than thirty Ticino municipalities have signed up to the Charter
• In 2024 the difference in the public sector was 847 francs
• Locarno spends over 3.2 million a year on work-family reconciliation

Key facts

• Principle: equal pay for work of equal value
• Charter: five articles, initiated by the Federal Council in 2016
• Ticino signature: Manuele Bertoli, then president of the Government
• Swiss signatories: 175 among cantons, municipalities, consortia and para-state companies
• Locarno: 423 employees, more than half women
• Municipal nursery: approximately 80 places
• Investment in Locarno: 199 francs per capita
• Expenditure in the district: approximately 4.2 million francs a year

The Charter for pay equality in the public sector bears the signature of Manuele Bertoli for the Canton of Ticino, then president of the Ticino Government. Initiated by the Federal Council in 2016, it is turning ten and consists of five articles built around a constitutional principle: the right to equal pay for work of equal value.

In Ticino, more than thirty municipalities signed up following the request of the Council of State. Rachele Santoro, Ticino's delegate for equal opportunities, expressed surprise at the number of signatories.

“We were nevertheless surprised that more than thirty municipalities signed up to this Charter and to the Council of State's request to sign it,” Rachele Santoro, Ticino's delegate for equal opportunities, told Quotidiano.

Signing does not conclude the process

The next step, according to Santoro, is to understand how to implement the commitments made. The first check concerns the individual bodies' pay practices and the guarantee of equality between men and women. The sign-up is therefore not presented as a final declaration, but as the start of an internal review.

The issue stems from a precise figure: in 2024, there was still a difference of 847 francs in Ticino's public sector. The source makes clear that it is not enough to declare salary classes and pay applicable to everyone. The disparity may result from discrimination in pay, but also from working conditions that do not guarantee equal access to management positions and career advancement.

In Switzerland, the Charter has been signed by 175 entities, including cantons, municipalities, consortia and para-state companies. Within the framework described, their task is to set a good example not only in terms of pay.

Locarno is among the signatories. Mayor Nicola Pini explained that the City had strengthened work-family compatibility through leave, flexibility, part-time work and job sharing. Locarno has 423 employees, more than half of them women, and calculated an investment of 199 francs per capita for this item. Among the measures mentioned is the municipal asilo nido, with approximately 80 places.

In the district, the study on merging with the other municipalities indicated that approximately 60% of nursery places are concentrated in Locarno. The final certainty remains that expressed by the source: in Switzerland and Ticino, people are still talking about disparities, not pay equality.

Operational details

From signature to practice

The difference between a signature and a salary policy is seen in the step indicated by the Charter: analysing what the entities actually do. A formally equal salary class for all does not, by itself, exclude a different result if access conditions to managerial roles or career paths change. This is the reason why the source broadens the control from the payslip to the organisation of work.

For a cross‑border worker employed in a participating municipality, the comparison is therefore not limited to the amount received: it also concerns the conditions under which one can access responsibilities and build a career. It is a key of interpretation linked to work in the Canton of Ticino, not an individual measure described by the source.

Locarno shows how reconcilability can be translated into resources and services. The 199 francs per capita calculated by the City and the expenditure of over 3.2 million francs on the roughly 4.2 million francs invested each year in the catchment area give a concrete dimension of the commitment. The data on nursery places, with about 60% concentrated in Locarno, adds a territorial dimension to the discussion.

The cross‑border reader must also know where this news ends: the source does not mention the G permit, AVS, LPP, LAMal, reimbursements, withholding tax or double taxation. The text remains focused on work and equality in the public sector of the Canton of Ticino. Those who wish to accompany the reading with a numerical check can use the payslip simulator, without confusing it with an analysis of career and work‑life balance practices.

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