Recent comments by Marc Spautz, chairman of the parliamentary group of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), and Laurent Zeimet, deputy mayor of Bettembourg, have raised eyebrows after both publicly criticised aspects of Prime Minister Luc Frieden’s social policy agenda. Despite this, the Prime Minister insists there is no rift within his party.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday morning before departing for a meeting with his German counterpart Friedrich Merz in Berlin, Frieden sought to reassure journalists that the CSV remains united. He acknowledged that the issue of Sunday working hours has sparked differing views but said the party will work to find common ground.
The remarks follow two recent instances of internal dissent over the government’s plans for social spending and labour reform. Spautz, for instance, made no secret of his disagreement with the government’s bill proposing to extend Sunday working hours to eight instead of the current four. He also showed discontent with improved flexibility of working hours in the retail sector.
Bettembourg’s Deputy Mayor Laurent Zeimet also expressed a clear counter position in an RTL interview on Monday. “Honestly, I’m not a fan of working on Sundays”, he said, referring to his personal experience as the son to a baker’s family.
In that same interview, Zeimet assured he would be voting against the two bills in their current form.
