The World - News from Dec. 5, 1988

Swiss voters rejected by 2-1 a proposed constitutional amendment that would have cut the nation’s 1 million foreign residents by almost one-third in the next 15 years by limiting new immigrants. The Swiss government this year has reported a record influx of refugees, many from Third World Countries. A referendum proposal to introduce a 40-hour workweek was also decisively turned down. The workweek now averages 42.5 hours, but workers in catering, sales or hospitals put in 43 to 60 hours. The government had urged citizens to reject both proposals, warning of serious economic consequences in a country already facing a tight labor market.