Monday’s Tripartite meeting between government, unions and employers, was a flop, according to OGBL, LCGB and CGFP. The government’s reaction to a number of demands raised by the unions was characterized by “arrogance”, they wrote.
According to PM Xavier Bettel, climate and housing had no place at a tripartite. As if these sectors weren’t in crisis, countered the unions, who intend to keep advocating for a strengthening of purchasing power and fight rising inequalities.
Housing, in particular, could have been included in the discussions, as a Tripartite is meant as a crisis instrument and this was clearly a crisis situation. But the government had referred them to the Ministry for Housing.
Further, current measures to bolster purchasing power, such as free meals for children or the increase of the cost-of-living subsidy are insufficient to counter the huge increases in the housing market, according to the CGFP. Increased cost of living and energy prices contribute to a further reduction of purchasing power.
Tax reform should also finally be tackled, even if not all points can be implemented durnig this legislative period.
Unions also decried a lack of dialogue and almost felt mocked by the government, said Patrick Dury, LCGB president, in an interview with RTL. The points actually taken up were a mere fraction of everything the unions had raised.
RTL-News: Tripartite: Aiden a Chômage partiel bis Enn Februar verlängert
