Prime Minister Luc Frieden is set to provide updates on the latest round of tripartite talks at a press conference on Thursday evening.
A key topic for Thursday was that of the minimum wage. Upon his arrival in Senningen, Frieden had made it clear he felt it would be difficult to reconcile the demands of both the unions and the employers.
RTL sources suggested the government hoped to increase the minimum wage by €200 a month as a fiscal gesture, alongside the index tranche that applies to employees. Whereas the unions asked for €200 more a month, plus the indexation and adjustment to wage development, to make it a total increase of €300. Luxembourg Employers' Association (UEL) president Michel Reckinger countered that businesses could not manage more than the decided increase.
Now the government must test what it can offer each side, with financial scope proving decisive here.
Patrick Dury, president of the LCGB, and his OGBL counterpart Nora Back, told the press on Thursday afternoon that they were sticking with their demand for a substantial increase in minimum wage. This could come in stages, they added. Dury said they were ready to be open and constructive in seeking a solution for everyone in the tripartite.
For the UEL, the minimum wage debate does not take priority. Michel Reckinger said they needed to quickly decide on measures to combat inflation and rising energy prices as a result of the Iran war, rather than losing more time. But this would only involve a partial agreement which the trade unions have thus far categorically refused.
