Since Friday, the union front has been calling for a tripartite meeting with the government. But UEL’s director Marc Wagener says this step is both premature and counterproductive.
“We don’t believe this is the right approach,” Wagener said. “We would actually appeal to them independently and hope they return to the negotiating table and to the committees that exist for this purpose. A tripartite should only be called in a genuine crisis situation.”
Wagener argues that lumping together unrelated issues under the banner of a tripartite is not constructive. He pointed out that meaningful progress had been made on several topics, particularly health insurance. While labour law discussions are proving more complex, and pension talks are still in their early stages, he believes the normal consultation bodies remain the appropriate forum.
“What we’re seeing here is practically a crisis being provoked by the refusal to engage with existing social dialogue bodies,” he continued. “For instance, the Economic and Social Council, or the Permanent Committee for Labour and Employment (CPTE), which is defined by law, are there precisely to deal with these issues.”
According to Wagener, bypassing those structures would be unfortunate – especially if the unions now plan to pursue their own solutions, blending together matters he says are unrelated: “Health insurance, the pension fund, tax reform, collective bargaining agreements, Sunday work – these are all separate issues that require individual attention.”
In UEL’s view, the institutional mechanisms for dialogue should not be discarded. The organisation maintains that only in true crises should a tripartite format be considered.
