On July 19, the OGBL, the only union represented at BSH électroménagers S.A., and the staff delegation signed a social plan with the company’s management.

The management of BSH Electroménagers S.A. announced the definitive closure of the company on July 3. A first information meeting with the OGBL and the staff delegation took place on July 5, during which the management confirmed its intention to lay off around 45 employees as of September 1, 2023. This decision is completely incomprehensible to OGBL and its employees given the record results the company has achieved in recent years.

However, OGBL would like to emphasize that the negotiations on the redundancy plan took place in a constructive climate, with a common concern to find appropriate and socially acceptable solutions for the employees affected by this mass redundancy.

As a result, the OGBL and the staff delegation were able to obtain various accompanying measures in favor of the employees concerned, including in particular

• extra-legal compensation based on seniority
• extra-legal compensation for employees over 50 years of age, for whom it will obviously be more difficult to find another job
• full payment of wages and other compensation due during the notice period, even if employees find a new job before the end of the notice period
• a commitment by management to immediately release employees who find new jobs
• increased wage compensation as of July 2023, as well as various other non-statutory wage measures
• organization of an information session with the ADEM on measures to obtain unemployment benefits in Luxembourg and the border regions, as well as on re-employment assistance
• training on how to write a curriculum vitae and how to conduct oneself during a job interview.

In addition, the management of BSH Electroménagers S.A. has taken steps to ensure that its employees will be able to obtain re-employment assistance, which has been confirmed by a ministerial decree dated July 6, 2023. The management also undertook to apply for tax exemption for extra-legal compensation and to contact some of its partners with a view to redeploying or taking on redundant employees.

The OGBL regrets the decision to permanently close BSH Electroménagers S.A. and the loss of its highly committed employees’ representatives. Finally, OGBL remains fully engaged to support the employees throughout the implementation of this social plan.

 

Press release of the OGBL Commerce Syndicate,
July 24, 2023

Following the recent announcement that the Carrefour group has acquired the Cora and Match banners in France and Romania, rumors have been circulating about a possible takeover of these two banners in Luxembourg.

The management of Cora and Match Luxembourg have just simultaneously announced to their staff delegations that the two groups have been taken over by the French retailer Leclerc.

The French group will take over the two Cora Foetz & Concorde stores with their approximately 470 employees, the twelve Match stores, the thirteen Smatch stores and the head office in Courthéoux with a total of 720 employees.

According to the management, the employees will be taken over under the current conditions.

The OGBL Commerce Syndicate, which holds a majority stake in both groups, is closely monitoring developments at both banners and will do everything in its power to ensure that the jobs and working conditions of the employees concerned are maintained.

OGBL Commerce Syndicate press release,
July 20, 2023

On July 13, 2023, the OGBL, the only union contracting with Adler Mode S.A. Luxembourg, signed a new collective agreement with the company’s management covering the 75 employees working in the Foetz, Strassen and Wemperhardt stores.

The new collective agreement covers a period of 36 months, from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025, and includes the following improvements

• wage increases of up to +45 euros gross per month, depending on seniority (retroactive to July 1, 2023)
• a one-time bonus of between 200 and 400 euros gross, to be paid in July 2024 in proportion to the hours worked.
• an additional non-recurring day off granted to employees for the year 2025.

The negotiations leading to this agreement took place in a constructive atmosphere.

Press release of the OGBL Commerce Syndicate
July 18, 2023

On July 3, 2023, the Board of Directors of BSH GmbH announced its intention to definitively close the activities of BSH Luxembourg SA, whose results were negative in 2023, in order to reduce costs in its companies with declining earnings.

BSH Luxembourg SA is a company that has proven to be sustainable over time, and also benefits from a very good collective bargaining agreement. In recent years, the company has reported very good figures in Luxembourg, and even achieved record results during the Covid pandemic. The company had even just opened a store in the heart of the capital, to make itself more accessible and enhance its reputation. The Group’s decision to close its Luxembourg branch for good is therefore all the more surprising.

The staff delegation and the OGBL are shocked by this abrupt announcement and denounce the subsequent dismissals.

No definitive closure date has yet been given. A first meeting between management, the staff delegation and the OGBL will take place on July 5, 2023. Negotiation of a social plan is inevitable. Around 50 employees are affected by the closure.

The staff delegation and the OGBL, the only trade union represented at BSH Luxembourg SA, will do everything in their power to safeguard as many jobs as possible and guarantee the best possible conditions of departure for the employees affected by the dismissals.

Press release from the OGBL Commerce Syndicate
July 4, 2023

After several months of constructive negotiations, Cactus management and the OGBL and LCGB syndicates signed on Thursday 15 June 2023 the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement for a period of 36 months covering the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025.

Cactus and the signatory unions welcome this step forward, which is in line with the company’s commitments to consolidate and significantly improve the rights and benefits enjoyed by employees in terms of pay, leave and working hours.

In addition to existing benefits, the agreement provides for salary increases and the payment of a single bonus based on the employee’s seniority.

16.06.2023

Negotiations to renew the collective bargaining agreement covering Coca-Cola Luxembourg’s 68 employees are currently at an impasse, with the company’s management refusing to seriously negotiate wage increases despite the fact that the company is reporting excellent results.

Right from the start of negotiations on November 16, 2022, the OGBL had denounced a lack of transparency in the company’s communications. Indeed, the balance sheet presented by management mixed the Group’s figures for Belgium and Luxembourg, making it impossible to know the precise financial situation for Luxembourg. This lack of transparency was a clear sign of the forthcoming discussions.

Still confusing the Group’s financial situation in Luxembourg and Belgium, management then communicated to its employees, on February 16, more favorable figures than those previously presented during the negotiation meetings: +12.5% in sales, +9.5% in sales volume and a +13.5% increase in net profit. At Group level, sales rose by +15.5%, net income by +12.5% and shareholder value by +13%.

Although it is the employees who have created this wealth through their commitment, Coca-Cola’s management refuses to give them a slice of the cake. The OGBL believes that it is legitimate for employees’ work to be fairly valued and recognized.

However, management does not see it that way, and has decided to simply dismiss the employees’ catalog of demands. From the beginning of the negotiations, the management side considered that negotiations would fail if the union side refused its proposal, namely, in the first instance, a single bonus of 200 euros for the year 2023. This proposal was later revised upwards following discussions encouraged by the OGBL, but remains meagre in view of the profits made by this retail giant. Furthermore, the majority of employees reject the proposal for a single bonus, as it would undermine the principle that has historically prevailed in collective bargaining at Coca-Cola Luxembourg. This would mark the beginning of the end of recurrent salary increases for Coca-Cola employees.

The OGBL deplores the current failure of negotiations and calls on Coca-Cola management to re-establish a constructive dialogue with employee representatives, in order to avoid social litigation before the Office National de Conciliation.

Press release by the OGBL Commerce Syndicate,
May 30, 2023