© Luc Rollmann
The Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) held its traditional Labour Day event at Neumünster Abbey in the capital on Sunday. President Nora Back used the opportunity to advocate raising the minimum pension, among other things.
Several high-ranking members of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) were among the guests, including Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy Georges Engel, party presidents Francine Closener and Dan Biancalana, as well the Greens' faction leader Josée Lorsché.
OGBL president Nora Back began her speech by pointing to the achievements that the Confederation made last year. She also warned that the OGBL will not forget that it was the only faction not willing to accept a manipulation of the wage indexation.
Back drew attention to the fact that close to half of Luxembourg's employees are cross-border workers and that they are being discriminated and left out of discussions at every level. She conveyed her solidarity for French syndicates and the people that were once again out protesting the contentious pension reform.
Back argued that Luxembourg should take this as a warning sign and refrain from meddling with the pension system. She also stated that the minimum pension should be raised to counteract the risk of poverty among elderly citizens.
Similar to LCGB president Patrick Dury, Back also spoke about Cargolux in her Labour Day speech. She said the air freight carrier is questioning unions' rights to conciliation and that their behaviour shows that a reform of collective contract laws is necessary.
The OGBL president refuted a recent statement by Michel Reckinger, president of the Luxembourg Employers' Association (UEL), who said that the Ministry of Labour is the antechamber of the OGBL. She noted that if this were the case, then many reforms that the Confederation is striving for would already be underway.
Back also spoke about the reduction of work time, which she said does not require much analysis and is the right way forward. Modernising labour is a way of preventing work from making people sick, she said.
As for the minimum wage, the OGBL advocates a 10% raise.
