Over the past ten years, the University of Luxembourg has concluded 23 settlements with employees in cases involving labour disputes. Minister of Research and Higher Education Stéphanie Obertin confirmed these figures in response to a parliamentary question from MP Liz Braz of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP).
However, her response has raised further questions.
One issue concerns the meaning of the term “settlement”. In English, such agreements would often be described as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), arrangements intended to avoid court proceedings.
Braz said that, from her perspective, such agreements resemble a “form of hush money”, particularly in light of several legal cases involving the university in recent years. She said she had not been aware that the number of settlements was so high and that the figure suggested the issue might go beyond isolated incidents, potentially pointing to a broader system designed to prevent more cases from reaching the courts.
Such settlements also involve financial costs. The university has spent around €1 million on legal fees, court costs, and compensation payments. Braz has now submitted additional questions to Obertin, asking for a breakdown of the sums paid under each settlement to clarify how much was awarded in individual cases.
Braz also pushed to know why these settlements were reached in the first place. Like other members of the parliamentary committee on higher education, she has recently met university employees who have raised concerns.
According to Braz, allegations of harassment and workplace bullying are among the accusations repeatedly directed at the university. She said it would be important to establish whether the underlying causes lie with employees or with the employer.
Another question is whether disciplinary measures were taken against alleged perpetrators and whether problems are concentrated within particular departments. If the cases prove to be systemic rather than isolated incidents, Braz said she expects the university to take decisive action.
Given the number of cases across the institution, she argued that it is difficult to dismiss them as simply individual complaints from dissatisfied employees, as university rector Jens Kreisel has suggested.
