Swiss Voters OK 'Sex Boxes,' Reject Longer Vacations

It seems voters in Switerzerland are all work and play, having rejected proposals to extend their annual minimum paid vacation, while approving the use of sex boxes for legal prositution.

In a referendum Sunday, 67 percent voted against extending annual leave to six weeks from four after a trade union, Travail.Suisse, proposed the idea, saying the pressures of work has increased in recent decades.

Travail.Suisse said the European debt crisis had contributed to voters' rejection of longer leave.

For many voters, it was understandable that current concerns about their own jobs took precedence over the long-term welfare of people and Swiss business, Reuters quoted the union as saying in a statement. With their fear-mongering campaign, the opponents of the initiative played with the uncertainty of workers.

Employers' associations welcomed the result, saying the result would help secure jobs.

The 'no' to the holiday initiative means above all a 'yes' to the maintenance of the competitiveness of Swiss companies and the securing of jobs, the country's leading employers group said in a statement. Adoption of the initiative would have pushed up already high labor costs in Switzerland and burdened business with additional costs of 6 billion Swiss francs a year.

Annual Swiss holidays are already around five weeks on average as many companies offer time off above the statutory minimum, Reuters reported.

In a separate referendum Sunday, voters in Switzerland's biggest city, Zurich, approved the creation of zoned structures from which licensed prostitutes can work.

The boxes are temporary shelters where sex workers can operate away from suburban areas.

Refendums are a common part of Swiss direct democracy and are regularly used to decide social issues.