Minister of Internal Security Léon Gloden recently had to defend himself against allegations that the police were instructed to inspect striking workers at Ampacet. On Thursday, Gloden responded to a related parliamentary question by MP Marc Baum of the Left Party (Déi Lénk).

The Ampacet case, now etched in the annals of trade union history as the second-longest strike in Luxembourg's records, lasting 25 days, has also become a contentious social conflict marked by confrontations. From the outset, the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) accused management of "unacceptable assaults" on the right to strike. In response, management urged the OGBL to exercise its right to strike "in a peaceful manner" while condemning the actions of striking workers who took turns blocking the entrance to the Dudelange plant.

On 11 December, MP Marc Baum submitted a parliamentary question to Minister Léon Gloden, a member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) who just recently found himself at the centre of a controversy after an act of vandalism at his home. Baum's inquiry followed police intervention to check the identity of individuals on the picket line who were reportedly not engaged in obstructive actions. Left Party MP Baum expressed concern that these checks "could be interpreted as attempts at intimidation."

The police have confirmed conducting identity checks on strikers outside the Ampacet factory entrance, but Minister Gloden disavows any directive from his office. In a statement released on Thursday, Gloden asserted that "the minister cannot instruct the police to carry out identity checks; such checks fall under the purview of the administrative police."

Defending his stance, Gloden maintained that he fails to see how the identity checks, as described, would compromise the right to strike. He explained that the police had intervened multiple times due to obstructions created by individuals on the picket line. These interventions led to the issuance of penalty notices, addressing issues such as "a traffic accident caused by the strikers" and instances of "resisting arrest with weapons" against those who had thrown firecrackers at law enforcement.

The Minister emphasised that the identity checks were carried out "in the execution of the judicial police mission" to "investigate minor and serious offences, to document them, gather evidence, inform judicial authorities, and apprehend the perpetrators."