Addressing a gathering of approximately 600 attendees on Wednesday morning, Back asserted, “The OGBL is now the Luxembourg trade union that nobody can ignore.” She pointed to significant gains made by the OGBL in the recent social elections, where it secured 61% of the vote. Back urged both the government and other trade unions to take heed of this outcome.
Following the recent merger with the “Landesverband” trade union, Back reiterated her advocacy for a unified trade union in Luxembourg.
Criticism was directed, in part, at the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL), which, despite “record profits” in the banking sector, has resisted wage increases during ongoing collective negotiations, as noted by Back. She also condemned Tarkett GDL’s decision to announce a redundancy programme immediately after an employment retention plan, labelling it as “unacceptable,” detrimental to social dialogue, and a misappropriation of public funds. Back emphasised the need for swift political intervention to prevent such occurrences.
Regarding tax reform, Back called for a fairer tax system that fulfils longstanding promises of tax relief for individuals. She criticised the government’s preference for granting tax concessions to corporations while delaying relief measures for private individuals. The OGBL proposed the establishment of a new tax bracket to lessen the tax burden on low and middle incomes, while increasing taxes for higher earners and maintaining tax exemption for the minimum wage. Additionally, Back urged the government to promptly implement automatic adjustments to the tax scale to account for inflation.
Nora Back stressed the need for equitable treatment of cross-border workers, who she highlighted would be excluded from numerous benefits. She called upon Minister of Finance Gilles Roth to provide clarity on the tax agreement with Germany. In order to foster a strong economy in Luxembourg, it is imperative to establish working conditions that are sufficiently attractive to draw people to work in the country, Back asserted.
Furthermore, Back announced the OGBL’s readiness to mobilise in defence of pensions, responding to Minister of Social Security Martine Deprez’s indication of potential reforms in the legislative period’s early stages.
Criticism was also directed towards housing policy, with Back suggesting that misplaced priorities were evident. She accused policymakers of favouring “new tax concessions for the wealthy,” as stated by the OGBL president.
