The law entitles you to 3 days of paid paternity leave. Some companies are more generous, but that's up to them!

Thanks Mélusine. Do you have happen to have a link to an official website about this, as there seems to be various different opinions in this thread ranging from zero days to three days...

yep... just like labour

Interesting some say the law entitles you to 3 days. I just started working in January, and the benefits report at my company says that fathers get just 1 day. Not that I'd need it, but it stuck in my memory because I was shocked.

so far i know and according to this http://www.news.admin.ch/message/?lang=de&msg-id=35872 law says nothing (Oct. 2010).

"Seit dem 1. Juli 2005 erhalten erwerbstätige Frauen in der Schweiz während 14 Wochen eine Mutterschaftsentschädigung, die 80 Prozent des Erwerbseinkommens deckt. Ein Vaterschaftsurlaub ist in keinem Bundesgesetz geregelt."

Short translation: mother receives 80% of the salary for 14 weeks. The paternity leave is not regulated.

Luckily i was given one week paid by the employer.

Thanks for the link La Mano de Dios. From that page it looks like there is an on-going discussion/proposal to give parental leave to both parents, who can then split it between them as they wish. I wonder if it will get enacted before November....

If you read 20 minutes today, there is a small article on a 'Geneva proposal' to the National Council for paternity leave. The officials in Bern refused it, something to do with how it was supposed to be financed from maternity leave insurance, etc. Apologies for the crude translation.