Roberto Mendolia is the President of ALEBA and works for Clearstream
AMCHAM: Please introduce yourself and your union to our international, English-speaking business constituency so they know who you are, and the values you believe in.
ALEBA has existed for 105 years, in the past represented the financial sector but is now a union for all employees in Luxembourg. It’s a non-political union, is managed by elected Staff Delegates. Only Staff Delegates can be part of the Board of Directors of ALEBA, this to ensure to keep a close relation with what is happening in the companies and the employees we support there.
Please assess the good and bad points of the relations between workers and management in Luxembourg?
Good: Social laws exist and must be respected – a company of more than 15 employees cannot exist without a Staff Delegation.
Bad: Some management doesn’t respect the social dialogue, and sanctions are too poor when this occurs.
In what ways do you believe the relations between workers and management are better equal to or worse now than they were five years ago, please explain why you feel that way?
We see companies where the social dialogues improved and where there is a respectful exchange of standpoints between management and delegation, staff is supported in their career, working hour limits are respected, remote working is supported up to a reasonable limit and where there is flexibility concerning the working time. Especially in those areas where there is a shortage of suitable staff. There are other companies where the situation is the contrary to the disadvantage of the staff but also of the company.
What are the five most important initiatives you believe need to be taken for the benefit of workers and how will you fight for those initiatives if your union is given empowerment by the voters in the social elections on 12 March?
- Keep the index system to ensure that employees keep their purchasing power.
- A better and more respectful social dialogue between management and staff delegation for the benefit of the employees but also for the functioning of the company.
- Ensure more and better collective bargaining agreements and ensure that these are applicable to all staff including the management up to a certain level.
- All work-life balance related topics are career promoting topics need to be taken seriously and improved where possible.
- The Luxembourg pension system is getting more and more under pressure. Additional and better supportive measures at company level should be considered and supported via legal changes and by giving tax advantages.
Are you concerned that Luxembourg is becoming less attractive as a business location with companies closing down, leaving or adjusting their presence in Luxembourg because of high taxes and other costs with quite many international companies now have more employees outside of Luxembourg than within Luxembourg? Are you worried about this trend and what steps would you like to suggest to make Luxembourg more attractive for businesses so they grow their employees in Luxembourg?
It would be unwise to ignore that companies are leaving or reducing their presence in Luxembourg and that Luxembourg needs to be able to compete with many other locations. Many decisions are taken at the government level and have a direct impact on the competitiveness of our companies. For employees, Luxembourg needs to stay interesting to come to and work in, considering long commuting times and high rental prices, not even talking about not being able to buy a property. Besides a high salary, career opportunities, a good work-life balance also the pension-related advantages shouldn’t be ignored and kept in line with cost of living.
Continuous heavy growth is not the only solution to improve the situation, but it should be kept at a reasonable level. Perhaps we should get ready for less growth and be able to handle this as good as possible. Luxembourg is a small country, which brings its limitations.
What steps would you propose to strengthen the partnership and cooperation between companies and your union?
Companies should better understand the advantages ALEBA brings for their staff and so for their companies. Most employees perform much better and are much more motivated when somebody looks after their wellbeing and supports their career. Companies should understand also that ALEBA supports a good and respectful dialogue where both positions are respected and suggestions are considered.
What do you offer and why should voters in the upcoming social elections choose to vote for your union rather than the other election lists?
As said, ALEBA is not linked to any political party and can freely decide how to act in the best interest of the employees. In addition, ALEBA has gained a lot of experience in the financial sector and can use this knowledge to improve the situation for the employees in other sectors.
Please feel free to identify and answer one, two or three questions you would have liked to be asked which we did not think to ask…
- Why should young employees become member of ALEBA?
ALEBA offers employees under the age of 30 a free membership. This enables them to get an easier start and to get them better informed about their rights as an employee and enjoy the advantages a membership of a union brings.
- Why should any employee become member of ALEBA?
Being a member of ALEBA ensures you to get all support you need during your career, from answering a simply question to receiving legal support when the situation requires this and much more. In addition, by supporting ALEBA you ensure that in future you still can enjoy the benefits of a good collective bargaining agreement (more holidays, better working conditions, salary increases, better protection, more training, appropriate working times, etc.).
