Bad-weather compensation

Through bad-weather compensation, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) covers losses of earnings incurred by employers due to bad weather. It is designed to prevent redundancies as a result of unavoidable work stoppages at short notice.

Broschüre: Schlechtwetterentschädigung (PDF, 113 kB, 27.04.2023)

Bad-weather compensation can be paid to the following economic sectors (Art. 65 UIO):

  • Structural and civil engineering, carpentry, quarrying
  • Sand and gravel extraction
  • Railway track and overhead line construction
  • Landscape gardening
  • Forestry, tree nurseries and peat extraction, provided they are not ancillary activities of an agricultural holding
  • Clay pit exploitation and brickyards
  • Fishing
  • Transport, provided vehicles are only used to transport excavated material or building materials from and to building sites, or to transport sand or gravel away from pits or quarries
  • Sawmilling

In addition, employees of vineyards and farms growing crops, fruit and vegetables can be compensated if the normal work cannot be performed due to unusually dry or wet conditions.
 

Who is entitled to claim?

The employer can submit a claim for individual employees, provided they have completed their compulsory schooling and not yet reached OASI retirement age.

Claims may not be made for employees who ...

  • are not affected by an ascertainable work stoppage or whose working hours are not sufficiently verifiable;
  • are employed on a temporary basis;
  • do not agree to the bad-weather-related work stoppage; or
  • have been hired from a third-party company.

In addition, bad-weather compensation benefits may not be claimed for people employed in a function similar to that of an employer (e.g. CEO), or for spouses or registered partners working at the company of the employer.
 

Application for bad-weather compensation

The employer must submit an application for bad-weather compensation. They must submit a notification to the responsible cantonal authority (by no later than the 5th day of the following calendar month). The unemployment insurance fund is also selected when issuing the notification.

If several building sites are affected, a separate form must be submitted for each one on a monthly basis. The cantonal authority in the canton where the business or department is located is the competent authority.

The cantonal authority uses a meteorological calendar or other suitable documentation to check whether the work stoppages are really a result of bad weather.

If the cantonal authority authorises the bad-weather compensation, the employer must submit the additional applications to the selected fund. The unemployment insurance fund checks the application requirements in detail and in the event of a positive decision, it then reimburses the short-time working compensation.
 

Bad-weather compensation benefits

The compensation paid out after the applicable waiting period amounts to 80% of the loss of earnings attributable to the reduction in working hours caused by the weather conditions.

With bad-weather compensation, the UI also reimburses the employer contributions for OASI/UI/LE/UI (see also the information service brochures and settlement forms). The employer share of OASI/UI/LE/UI is 6.4%.
 

Bad-weather compensation forms

You will find all the bad-weather compensation forms here.
 

Information on bad-weather compensation

The cantonal authority can answer specific questions on forms, notification and company departments. The relevant unemployment insurance fund is responsible for specific questions on benefits and calculations. 

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