Opposition parties have welcomed Wednesday morning’s “unofficial” tripartite meeting on RTL Radio, noting that RTL succeeded where the government has so far failed: bringing all social partners to one table.
In fact, representatives of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP), The Greens (déi gréng), and The Left (déi Lénk) are asking what the government is waiting for to convene a real tripartite meeting.
LSAP parliamentary group leader Taina Bofferding expressed regret that Labour Minister Marc Spautz did not use his radio appearance to announce such a meeting. She said the government appears not to have understood that it is the one that must issue the invitation.
Green MP Sam Tanson noted that everyone is waiting for a tripartite, including former PM Jean-Claude Juncker, “one of the architects of the social model as we know it today”. She stressed that guaranteeing social cohesion in Luxembourg is what is at stake.
For the LSAP, the minimum wage, worktime organisation, the war in West Asia, and rising energy prices all belong on a tripartite agenda, with the party stressing that “people need help today.” While acknowledging that social partners’ positions have hardened, the party argues that mediation is precisely the government’s role.
All three parties said the appointment of Marc Spautz as labour minister has so far been a disappointment.
MP David Wagner of The Left expressed disappointment that the government still has not understood that much of Luxembourg’s economy cannot function without working people.
On this point, he said, there is little difference between former Labour Minister Georges Mischo and Spautz. The Left advocates for a “redistribution tripartite”, calling it unacceptable for the wealthy to refuse to share during difficult economic times.
The Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) is the only opposition party that sees tripartite talks as less urgent – unless a second wage indexation were triggered. ADR president Alexandra Schoos does not share the other parties’ criticism of the government’s minimum wage proposal.
She argued that a second wage indexation will likely still happen alongside the January adjustment. She said care must be taken not to overburden businesses.
The ADR seeks discussion on capping wage indexation and on the calculation method for the biennial minimum wage adjustment, including whether public sector salaries should be excluded from the median wage calculation.
