Since Tuesday morning, a large proportion of employees in Luxembourg – all those employed in a company with more than 15 staff – have been able to vote for their new staff representatives. One of the major issues at stake in these crucial social elections is employee turnout, but no figures are available at present.
While the outcomes from major employers (CFL, Amazon, POST, Dussmann, Cactus, BGL BNP Paribas, etc.) are not expected until much later in the day, early reports from smaller and medium-sized businesses provide insight into the evolving landscape of employee representation.
In the Commerce sector, the LCGB has showcased promising outcomes, securing victories at prominent companies such as Proximus (792 employees), Pall Center (220 employees), Colruyt 150 employees), and Domaines Vinsmoselle (106 employees). It should be noted, however, that the LCGB was the sole union on the ballot in these cases.
On the other hand, the OGBL achieved notable successes at Aldi Luxembourg, Brico Luxembourg, and Chaussea, securing full representation among effective delegates.
In the construction and craft industries, the OGBL seized all 13 delegation seats at Socom SA and garnered significant support at EGDL SA (5 effective delegates out of 5), OBG Lux (5 effective delegates out of 5), and Bétons et Matériaux SA (4 effective delegates out of 4). Meanwhile, the LCGB secured all effective delegate seats at Nic. Schilling et Fils (190 employees), Mersch & Schmitz (180 employees), and IBB Baugesellschaft (134 employees).
In the healthcare sector, the OGBL has demonstrated its stronghold, securing significant representation at major institutions including Servior (17 effective delegates out of 17), the Luxembourg Red Cross (16 effective delegates out of 16), as well as APEMH, Arcus, and Help-Doheem Versuergt, with in each case 15 out of 15 effective delegate seats obtained. Conversely, the LCGB made strides at Jardins d’Alysea, clinching all available effective delegate seats.
Additionally, the LCGB secured complete delegate representation at Voyages Ecker and Autocars Frisch Emile.
At the University of Luxembourg, the OGBL swept all effective (18) and substitute (18) delegate seats.
In companies with fewer than 100 employees, voting operates under a relative majority system, i.e., candidates stand alone and those with the most votes are elected. Companies with more than 100 employees follow a proportional representation model and workers vote for lists of candidates.
ALEBA, the former banking sector union that has been transformed into the Association for All Employees with a Need for Assistance, aims for national representativeness in the 2024 social elections. Seeking to achieve 20% of the votes in the Chamber of Employees, ALEBA plans to rival the OGBL and LCGB, the two nationally representative unions.
So far, ALEBA is only represented in six of the nine socio-professional groups of the Chamber of Employees.
ALEBA President Robert Mendiola highlighted that the union is politically neutral, which would allow it “to say out loud what others don’t dare to say in a whisper.”
The union says it wants to defend the wage indexation system, among other things by opposing further postponements, while remaining open to discussions regarding a revision of the indexation system itself.
Related:
Elections on Tuesday: Vote for the workforce: Understanding Luxembourg’s social elections
Explainer: Luxembourg’s largest social elections take place on Tuesday
Interview with Nora Back: What is the role of the Chamber of Employees?
