Travel educates: Government councils exist luxuriously at the expense of others
They had a good time. Several incumbent and former government councilors exist every two years in other European countries, paid for by Schweizer Salinen AG. Five star hotel and excursions included. For educational purposes of course!
Schweizer Salinen AG is owned by the cantons and principality of Liechtenstein. They hold the salt monopoly in our country. Our road salt, for example, comes from the salt pans and the table salt either comes from them – or at least its import was approved by the monopoly company.
fallen out of time
You quickly notice that the company is an anachronism, but it brings in a lot of money for its owners, the cantons. Therefore, contrary to the recommendation of the Federal Council, they are opposing the dissolution of the company. The only thing that is no longer closed to modernization: the board of directors should now have a maximum of nine members and no longer 27. The cantons and Liechtenstein should also no longer send government representatives to the board of directors.
As the “Tages-Anzeiger” revealed, the luxurious trips take place every two years. They last four days. In 2016 we are going first to Ibiza and later to Barcelona. In 2018, the government council members passed first to Salzburg in Austria and then on to Berchtesgaden and Bad Reichenhall in Germany. In 2020, the trip was postponed to 2021 because of Corona: According to the article, it followed to the Camargue in southern France.
Simon, Dieht and Mächler
15 current or former government councilors were present. Among those present were Beatrice Simon from Bern (61, middle) and Markus Dieth from Aargau (55, middle), but also Marc Mächler from St. Gallen (52, FDP) and Rosmarie Widmer Gysel from Schaffhausen (65, SVP).
From September 16, 2021 they stayed three nights in Arles at the five-star Hotel L’Arlatan. From here, the tour group started trips to the Camargue – including a helicopter flight over the sea salt works near Aigues-Mortes with the famous city wall. The region is also known for its wild horses, flamingos and the sandy beach of L’Espiguette.
Just further education
They do not say what the salt works spend on the trips, but that they invest an average of CHF 78,000 a year in the training and further education of their board members. Since the “study trips” take place every two years and the training effort in the years in between is low, each board trip should cost more than 100,000 francs – money that cannot be distributed to the cantons and is therefore missing from the taxpayer.
The managing director of the salt works, Urs Hofmeier, defends the luxury trips as “study trips”. It is about the training and further education of the board of directors. However, the training topic was hardly low costs for consumers and the municipalities, which, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office, have to pay two to four times as much as abroad because of the monopoly for road salt.
Würth considers Reisli to be “reasonable”
Also present at the Reisli to France in 2021 were the two current Central State Councilors Benedikt Würth (SG) and Charles Juillard (JU). The former would be invited to a trip again after they left – “traditionally”, explains Salinen boss Hofmeier to the “Tages-Anzeiger”.
Würth, who has been a member of the Council of States for St. Gallen for three years and only resigned from the government council at the end of May 2020, said when asked about his participation in Luxusreisli: “The study trips by the Swiss saltworks are within the usual framework for a board of directors mandate. Other plants with alternative technologies for salt extraction are now abroad.” However, one can discuss whether it makes sense for departing members of the Board of Directors to come along for the farewell or not. “In my opinion, that’s justifiable,” said the former mayor of Rapperswil-Jona SG.
Ambitions spoiled
The Reisli are unlikely to have any direct consequences for the current and former members of the government at the expense of others. However, if Benedikt Würth were to come into play as a candidate for the Federal Council, the study trip could literally spoil his ambitions. (pt)