The independent trade union confederation is calling on Prime Minister Luc Frieden to stand up for the workers of SES and Intelsat.

The announcement by satellite operator SES on Tuesday that it will take over US competitor Intelsat was welcomed by the Prime Minister as excellent news for the Luxembourgish economy.

However, the 650 employees of SES and 60 employees of Intelsat should not be ignored, warns OGBL, which is the majority trade union at SES and the only one at Intelsat.

Contrary to the law, neither the staff representatives at SES nor at Intelsat were consulted and the respective managements did not respect the social dialogue, adds OGBL.

The trade union also points to past restructuring incidents at SES which saw fifty job cuts. At the same time, the satellite operator set up another branch in Bucharest and expanded employment in Romania.

The trade union is therefore concerned about further delocalisations and a reduction in staff here in Luxembourg, especially given that acquisitions often entail large expenses. This should not happen under any circumstances, especially not if they are financed by the taxpayer, the trade union underlines.