"Solidarity comes at a price", says Xavier Bettel

Bettel emphasised that the country was entering a difficult and uncertain time, with numerous global issues such as the war in Ukraine affecting Luxembourg's outlook for the future. But he added that no one would be left out in the cold, with support available for those who needed it most.

Despite more than 40 hours of social dialogue taking place in recent weeks, the Prime Minister said he regretted that the OGBL union had withdrawn its support for the tripartite agreement, which could have taken on historical significance.

Bettel added that the agreement was due to be signed on Thursday afternoon following the Chamber declaration, in conjunction with the four other parties involved in negotiations.

Opposition standpoints

CSV president Gilles Roth told the Chamber the party would support the social dialogue, as well as the logic of the indexation system. An indexation system should come to a complete standstill in good times, and in bad times a shift of the index in time should be possible, he added.

Roth said businesses needed a period of predictability after two difficult years, and making a profit in this manner would benefit businesses and create or secure job. However, he criticised the lack of a tripartite social commission, which his party called for some three weeks ago. He concluded that the measures agreed should be implemented as soon as possible.

Pirate Party MP Sven Clement said the tripartite results represented a step backwards in terms of climate protection. In particular, he said the Prime Minister's statement had not been concrete and the government had failed to supply adequate figures to the Chamber in order to provide a clearer picture of the proposed measures.

The ADR's Fernand Kartheiser said they had not received the impression that it had been impossible to reach an agreement with the OGBL. He would prefer further negotiation, as many details had not yet been brought to the table. If what the OGBL had said was true, namely that the energy grants would be paid only to residents and not to cross-border workers, then it was understandable that the union had rejected the proposal, as it would exclude half the country's workforce.