OGB-L and LCGB make gains in 'social elections'

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November 2003 saw social elections in Luxembourg, with employees voting for representatives on workplace employee committees and in national consultative chambers and social security funds. The two main trade union confederations, OGB-L and LCGB, increased their support while a new federation of unions organising private sector white-collar staff (ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP) failed to make a breakthrough, succeeding only in maintaining its dominant position in the banking sector.

Every five years,'social elections' of employee representatives are held in Luxembourg (LU9810172F). Employees elect representatives on:employee committee s (délégations du personnels) in enterprises with more than 15 employees (LU0309102T); two consultative'professional chambers' (LU9810172F) - the Chamber of Private Sector White-Collar Staff (Chambre des Employés Privés, CEP) and the blue-collar Chamber of Labour (Chambre de Travail); and the administrative bodies of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance Funds (Caisses de Maladie). These elections are based largely on lists of candidates presented by trade unions and thus provide an opportunity for measuring the relative strength of unions and give a fairly accurate idea of their national representativeness.

The November 2003 social elections were awaited with much anticipation (LU0311103N), not least with regard to the results achieved by a new federation for private sector white-collar staff formed in early 2003 by the Luxembourg Association of Banking and Insurance Staff (Associations luxembourgeoise des employés de banque et d’assurances, ALEBA), the Union of Private Sector White-Collar Employees (Union des employés privés, UEP), the Neutral Union of Luxembourg Workers (Neutral Gewerkschaft Luxembourg, NGL) and the National Union of Private Sector White-Collar Employees (Syndicat national des employés privés-Rénovateurs, SNEP) (LU0303102F). The showing of ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP in the elections was expected to raise again the issue of its nationally representative status (LU0211102F).

Employee committees

The elections of representatives on workplace employee committees were held on 12 November 2003, with trade unions fielding a record number of candidates (and thus claiming victory on at least this level even before the vote was held). In late December, it is very difficult to give a precise idea of the result of the elections. No independent body collects results and the available data set out below come from trade unions and cannot therefore be absolutely guaranteed. Furthermore, it is difficult to draw comparisons as the Luxembourg Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (Onofhängege Gewerkschafts-Bond Lëtzebuerg, OGB-L) traditionally compiles its results by sector, while the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Lëtzebuerger Chrëschtleche Gewerkschafts-Bond, LCGB) does so by enterprise. However, it seems that there were no major upsets among the 2,700 or so employee committees elected in November.

Successes claimed by OGB-L include the following:

• OGB-L is the best supported trade union in the iron and steel industry. Of the 96 employee committee seats representing blue- and white-collar workers and young workers, 59 were won by OGB-L (ie 61% of the total). Turn-out among white- and blue-collar workers was around 80%, which is remarkably high, and underlines the interest that employees ofArbed (part of theArcelor group) take in the company's social affairs. Arbed remains the company with by far the largest workforce in Luxembourg;

• of the 527 candidates (25% more than in 1998) that OGB-L's building union fielded in the construction sector (including crafts and metal construction), 238 were elected as full employee committee members and 179 as alternate members. This represents a 12.8% increase on 1998. OGB-L fielded candidates in 51 enterprises where it was not already represented, thereby strengthening its national coverage;

• OGB-L strengthened its position in metals processing and car repairs by gaining 170 employee committee seats against the 69 won by LCGB, the one won by ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP, and the 23 won by so-called'neutral' lists;

• OGB-L obtained 48 employee committee seats in the private cleaning services sector, compared with 18 for LCGB, and none at all for ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP; and

• OGB-L won 147 seats in the wood, rubber, ceramics, chemicals, cement, paper, plastics, textiles and glass industries, compared with the 56 obtained by LCGB, and the 15 won by ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP.

Successes claimed by LCGB include the following:

• LCGB won 130 employee committee seats in 70 enterprises in the construction sector;

• in industry, LCGB claims very good results atDuPont de Nemours,Goodyear andTDK;

• LCGB claims a 43% increase in the number of representatives elected in local communes and inter-commune bodies; and

• LCGB claims excellent results in the socio-educational sector

Among the unions making up the ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP federation, ALEBA has stated that it still has a majority of employee committee representatives in the banking sector. However, the other member unions of the federation enjoyed little success, even losing delegates in customary strongholds such as Goodyear.

Sickness and Maternity Insurance Funds

The results of the elections of representatives of insured workers on the governing bodies of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance Funds confirmed the results of the employee committee elections, with OGB-L and LCGB emerging as the winners among both blue-collar workers and private sector white-collar workers.

In the private sector white-collar workers’ Fund election, OGB-L won seven seats and LCGB five, with the remaining three falling to ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP. OGB-L won 44.83% of the vote (a 16.68% increase on 1998) and LCGB 28.28% (up 6.53% on 1998), while ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP won 22.3%.

In the blue-collar workers' Fund election, OGB-L won nine seats and LCGB six. In the special Arbed Fund election, OGB-L won 10 seats and LCGB five, while ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP lost its only representative. Lastly, the General Public Sector Confederation (Confédération générale de la fonction publique, CGFP) confirmed its hold on the civil and public servants' Fund. CGFP’s own lists and those of its education affiliateFEDUSE won 91.5% of the votes, and 14 of the 15 seats. The remaining seat went to the OGB-L.

Turn-out in the Sickness and Maternity Insurance Fund elections fell, with the participation rate among blue-collar workers no higher than 36%, and that of white-collar workers in the private sector only 37%.

Professional chambers

Turn-out in the election of representatives to the Chamber of Private Sector White-Collar Staff and the blue-collar Chamber of Labour was very low, with 34% of private sector white-collar workers voting, and only 30% of blue-collar workers.

In the election to the Chamber of Private Sector White-Collar Staff, OGB-L won 15 seats, LCGB won 10 and ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP seven. In the'transport' section, the National Federation of Luxembourg Railway and Transport Workers and Civil Servants (Fédération nationale des cheminots, travailleurs du transport, fonctionnaires et employés du Luxembourg, FNCTTFEL) won four seats and the Christian Transport Workers' Trade Union (Syndicat des travailleurs du transport chrétiens, SYPROLUX) won two. ALEBA made most impression in the'banking and insurance' section with five seats (51.68% of votes cast), followed by OGB-L (two seats, 28.82%) and LCGB (one seat, 19.50%). Although this result allows ALEBA to hang on to its majority in this section, its result was much worse than in 1998, when it won 68.19% of the votes. OGB-L and the LCGB both increased their support by 10%.

In the Chamber of Labour, LCGB won nine seats (down two) and OGB-L won 23 (up three). NGL lost its only seat.

Commentary

These results show that the two main trade union organisations have gained in strength. Those who were expecting the ALEBA/UEP-NGL-SNEP federation to make gains were bitterly disappointed. Although ALEBA was able to hang on to its dominant position in the banking sector, at the same time it lost some employee committee members (particularly in the larger banking establishments), while it cannot be denied that the other unions in the federation did not exactly shine in other sectors. The federation’s aim of nationally representative status seems further off than it was before the social elections were held. ALEBA can sign collective agreements only in the banking sector, and this is on the basis of case law (LU0011152F). As the general election scheduled for June 2004 approaches, the current legislative attempt seeking to strip the federation of this prerogative (LU0211102F) is unlikely to be finalised.

With regard to the low turn-out in the professional chamber elections, the trade unions need to give the matter serious thought and take initiatives. (Marc Feyereisen)