DHAKA: Swiss voters are taking part in a referendum on Sunday on whether to introduce what would be the highest minimum wage in the world.

If approved, employers would have to pay workers a minimum 22 Swiss francs an hour.

Supporters say the move is necessary for people to live a decent life, reports the BBC.

But critics argue that it would raise production costs and increase unemployment because young people would find it more difficult to get work.

Correspondents say that the proposal ‘to protect equitable pay’ is the most prominent of several referendums on Sunday,

They include a controversial plan to buy Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force and to impose a lifelong ban against convicted paedophiles working with children.

But it is a trade union-backed proposal to ensure that an annual salary is not less than £32,000 a year which has provoked the most debate.

BDST: 1608 HRS, MAY 18, 2014