Difficult times ahead

No, the OGBL has not become radicalized. It’s the times we live in that have become radicalized. We’re facing headwinds from both politics and employers. And the OGBL is exactly where it should be as a trade union: resisting and defending the rights of employees and their families.

And these rights are currently under violent attack at a particular company: Ampacet…

The management here unilaterally declared the failure of the conciliation procedure and thus terminated the collective agreement in force. This is an unprecedented event in Luxembourg’s social history: an employer itself denouncing the social truce that goes hand in hand with the validity of the collective agreement! This is nothing less than a frontal attack on the Luxembourg social model!

In the case of Ampacet, we’re not just talking about a strike in a small industrial company, but about an issue of national importance! We have to make sure that the example of Ampacet does not become a precedent for other companies.

That’s why giving in at Ampacet is out of the question. The Ampacet strikers, who have been braving rain, snow, frost and gusts of wind for more than two weeks, are demonstrating every day that they will not give up. The OGBL, the whole OGBL, stands with them every day with the same determination. We will continue to fight until the employer finally gives in!

On the national political level, the first attacks are also pre-programmed. It didn’t take long for the new Minister of Health and Social Security to set the tone: strengthening private supplementary pensions at the expense of the collectivity, which means calling into question our public pension system based on solidarity!

These will be difficult times. The coalition’s program is clear, and it goes beyond the issue of pensions!

Capital will be further strengthened and education, health and pensions will be left to the free market. The environment will not be a priority, and the housing crisis will continue to rage. Employers, for their part, want to shape our private lives by making working hours more flexible. And above all, employees and pensioners will have to tighten their belts.

At a time when a liberal-conservative government is speaking the same language as the employers’ organizations, and when several crises are weighing on workers and their families, it has become essential to strengthen the OGBL.

We must defend our achievements, protect and develop our labor laws and guarantee our pensions in order to secure and improve the general situation of employees, pensioners and their families.

That’s why we need a strong OGBL.

It’s up to all of us to make the next social elections a show of strength for workers and pensioners! This is not just another election, but an opportunity to put our interests at the top of the agenda.

This time we’ll all be able to vote. And we should make use of this right, because with more than 600,000 voters, the election of the Chamber of Employees is the largest democratic election in Luxembourg. It’s an opportunity to actively influence the course of events.

Together we are strong, and only together can we make a real change. No false promises, just strong action.

Nora Back, OGBL President