Will Aleba become the country's third national trade union? On Tuesday, the historic trade union of the Luxembourg financial centre revealed its intention to expand its activities into other sectors.
Aleba President Roberto Mendolia declared that "Luxembourg needs a large, neutral national trade union," stating that the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) and the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) are "too politically biased."
'Aleba' stands for the Luxembourg Association of Bank and Insurance Employees.
More than half of employees in Luxembourg are reported to be politically neutral and not associated with one of the two major national unions. These are the people that Aleba wants to rally behind it.
The banking union's aspirations are nevertheless hampered by current legislation. In the Chamber of Employees, a trade union needs 20% of the votes to be considered a national union.
This status is important since, for example, only national unions may be invited to tripartite meetings. The Aleba president considers this "outrageous" and urges politicians to amend the law in question.
Furthermore, Roberto Mendiola discussed the "Aleba method," claiming that it is "the only trade union that puts people at the centre, fully independent of political influence." The union is "not afraid" of potential criticism from the OGBL and LCGB, according to the president of Aleba, which now wants to represent more than just financial sector employees.
In order to attract new members, Aleba is aggressively targeting the under-30s: for them, the membership will be free.
© Luc Rollmann
