“Social dialogue should not take place over grilled sausages and beer benches”, OGBL president Nora Back said in an interview with RTL.lu the day after Labour Day, criticising ministers for their communicative approach.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden, along with Ministers Georges Mischo and Martine Deprez, attended the 1 May celebrations of both trade unions. They listened to LCGB president Patrick Dury’s political speech in Remich before joining OGBL for lunch at Neumünster Abbey. As a result, Nora Back’s criticism appears to have gone largely unnoticed by the government representatives.
Nora Back argues that the current trade union alliance poses a challenge to the government – a sign, she said, that the confederations are on the right track. OGBL and the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) are now closer than ever – solidarity that was evident on Thursday evening. In his speech, Patrick Dury addressed what he called a form of social apartheid, highlighting the attacks on private sector employees and trade unions in light of the new salary agreements for civil servants. As a result, the unions are struggling to reach common ground with the civil servants’ union, CGFP.
Nora Back recalled that the three unions OGBL, LCGB, and CGFP had indeed submitted a common position statement. The OGBL president did not adopt Patrick Dury’s terminology in the interview on Friday morning. It is worthy to note OGBL’s presence in a lot of public service unions.
It’s always a good thing for Prime Minister Luc Frieden to visit the trade unions and witness their vibrancy, said OGBL president Nora Back in an interview. The gathering at Neumünster Abbey, she noted, showed just how “modern” and socially rooted the OGBL is. However, she stressed that social dialogue should not take place over grilled sausages and beer benches. On Thursday afternoon, no serious discussions were held between trade unionists and representatives of the Christian Social People’s Party during the lunch – it simply wasn’t the right setting. What matters most, Back said, is addressing these issues in proper meetings, with the aim of achieving tangible results. Unfortunately, she added, that is not always the case. “That’s why we’re angry – and why we made that very clear,” she concluded.
The Prime Minister was reportedly offended by Patrick Dury’s speech and the strong statements made by the LCGB on Thursday. In response, OGBL president Nora Back said the Prime Minister’s reaction showed that the government fails to grasp the severity of the criticism trade unions have faced for months. She explained that unions have been consistently undermined, which helps explain why they are now responding with firmer demands. In that context, OGBL and LCGB are planning a national protest in June to oppose current government policy. Back added that if ministers choose to attend 1 May celebrations, they should also expect to hear the unions’ concerns.
Nora Back reassured RTL.lu that they do not aim to seek conflicts, they want to negotiate. Nevertheless, if the government does not listen to them at the discussion table, they have to make themselves heard on the street. The mobilisation process for a significant national protest on 28 June organised by the two trade unions is in full swing. This should be an incentive for the government to start acting.
At the heart of the unions’ demands is the withdrawal of draft legislation on extended opening hours and Sunday work. They are also calling for a resolution to the issue of collective labour agreements being negotiated exclusively by trade unions – a matter the government continues to sidestep. Nora Back added that the three-party coalition should reach internal consensus before making any concrete decisions on pension reform. On 1 May, union leaders had already raised the possibility of a general strike if their concerns were not addressed.
