May Day in Luxembourg: trade unions prepare large-scale protest
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Against the backdrop of hot weather and a long weekend, the traditional rally of the OGBL, Luxembourg's largest trade union, took place in the square outside Neumünster Abbey. Its president, Nora Back, used May Day as a platform to harshly criticise the social and economic policies of the government led by Luc Frieden.
"This Labour Day is also the day of the next indexation of salaries," she reminded, referring to the automatic linking of salaries to inflation activated according to the latest forecast from STATEC. However, Back emphasised, this is not a gift from the state, but the result of a persistent trade union struggle.
"Today, more than ever, our demands are more relevant than ever," the union leader said, listing key areas of tension:
- collective bargaining agreements,
- pension reform,
- Liberalisation of working hours in retail,
- Sunday work,
- restrictions on the right to protest.
All this, according to the OGBL, is threatened by the course of the new CSV-DP coalition, which the unions reproach for its unwillingness to engage in equal dialogue.
Back was particularly scathing about the prime minister's assessment of the recommendations from the OECD published the other day: 'Luc Frieden liked the OECD report - we would have liked it better if he liked the unions'.
Nora Back highlighted the statement of Carole Hartmann, recently elected president of the Democratic Party, on her commitment to the welfare state, but added: "We don't need words, we need action."
The main message of the speech was about preparations for a major protest action scheduled for 28 June. The OGBL intends to present a united front with another powerful union, the LCGB, and is already actively mobilising.
Although the number of people attending the rally seemed modest compared to past years, Back expressed no concern: "It's a long weekend, people are hot... But overall there are as many people as there always are."
She concluded her speech by stressing the need to fight against total 'flexibility' in the employment relationship, stating, "We will defend work-life balance."
