On Tuesday morning, our colleagues from RTL Radio spoke with Jasmine Pettinger, the new president of the Socialist Women, the women's organisation within the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), about the minimum wage and gender equality.
Pettinger stated that the Socialist Women receive substantial support from the party, which always has an open ear for their concerns. Pettinger, who also serves as a local councillor in Steinfort and is active within the National Women's Council, succeeded Maxime Miltgen in late March after Miltgen became co-president of the LSAP.
According to Pettinger, one of her main priorities is gender equality, which in her view concerns not only women's rights but also fair wages.
The LSAP recently unveiled its demand for a €200 increase in the minimum wage. Pettinger described the demand as "realistic" and noted that it is lower than the trade unions' proposal of €300. She added that it is a fact that people cannot live on the minimum wage in Luxembourg. The LSAP proposes implementing the increase in two stages to reduce the burden on businesses.
Pettinger pointed out that women often work in lower-paid jobs, work part-time, or are single parents. These are issues that need to be addressed, she argued, stating that it is unacceptable that people struggle to put food on the table at the end of the month. For this reason, Pettinger believes it is "pertinent" for a social party such as the LSAP to make such a demand.
She noted that women still earn less in terms of annual income, adding that the same applies to bonuses and representation on administrative boards. Pettinger described getting onto these boards as "a great challenge", which is why she considers it important to discuss equality in all areas.
Pettinger also advocates for greater equality in sport and wants to encourage more women to enter politics. She highlighted that the Socialist Women offer networking combined with mentoring to support young women.
