Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital for the national demonstration

Thousands of people joined a protest march through Luxembourg’s capital on Saturday, called by the country’s two largest unions to demonstrate against a series of government reforms on issues including pensions and shop opening hours.

According to police estimates, between 12,000 and 14,000 people took part in the demonstration, much lower than the number of participants calculated by the OGBL and LCGB unions, which put the figure at over 25,000.

Regardless of the exact numbers, it was one of the largest demonstrations seen in Luxembourg in well over a decade. In May 2009, a protest to oppose the government’s austerity policies last attracted similar numbers – with police putting the number at 15,000 on that occasion, and the unions claiming 30,000.

So far, the government has consistently refused to negotiate with the unions on its pension reform proposals, said LCGB President Patrick Dury.

The unions hoped that a strong signal at Saturday’s demonstration could change that. OGBL President Nora Back is convinced that they have achieved their goal, she said in her speech at Place Guillaume II. “Your massive presence today, on this day, in this square, is a strong sign of resistance against policies directed against people,” she said.

The meeting point had been set for 10:30 in front of Luxembourg’s main train station. However, an hour before the procession was due to set off through the streets of the capital, many demonstrators were already converging on the assembly point, according to correspondents from the Luxemburger Wort. By 11:00, a red and green tide was sweeping through the city’s streets.

The thousands of people who joined the procession were led by Back and Dury on their march through the capital. At the start of the march, demonstrators could be heard chanting, “Frieden, we don’t want your reform!”

Several demonstrators told the Luxemburger Wort that they were there because they considered the pension reform unfair, while a large number of the placards carried by individual demonstrators referred to that reform.

Around 30 civil society organisations joined Saturday’s demonstration, according to the unions, including Amnesty International, Greenpeace, ASTI, the association which assists immigrant workers, the art collective Richtung 22, Fairtrade, and the Cercle des ONG.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, government politicians were absent, while opposition parties – LSAP, Greens, Pirates and déi Lénk – were present. Former Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn attended in full cycling gear, while former Fokus politician Frank Engel also participated in the march.

At the heart of the demonstrators’ grievances was the pension reform proposed by Luc Frieden’s government, but that was not their only concern. The OGBL and LCGB also oppose the reform of collective agreement procedures, changes to Sunday work and working hours, and the implementation of the European directive on minimum wages.

At around 12:20, the union leaders took to the large stage set up on Place Guillaume II, where Back began by expressing her gratitude to the assembled crowd for the “massive turnout”. According to Back, those present had chosen to stand up and send a clear message to the prime minister and his government: “No more!”

During her speech, the OGBL leader emphasised that the Luxembourg social model is built on negotiation. “It’s up to you to decide whether you respect social dialogue and the Luxembourg model, or whether you choose to further escalate the social conflict,” she said, addressing Prime Minister Luc Frieden.

“The government is led by a prime minister who sees our country as a large company, and himself as an even larger CEO. […] A CEO who lives in his own world, where human beings are reduced to commodities with price tags,” said LCGB President Patrick Dury.

No commitment to July meeting

Regarding their participation in the meeting with social partners proposed by Frieden on 9 July, the union leaders remained non-committal. Back declined to give a definitive answer, stating that “the OGBL and the LCGB have yet to decide whether, and if so, in what form, they wish to attend such a meeting.”

For his part, Dury emphasised that social dialogue has always delivered results, adding that Saturday’s demonstration had “proved that trade unions work.” The LCGB president called on the government to now demonstrate its own effectiveness. “I find it increasingly difficult to tell where the prime minister ends and the president of the Chamber of Commerce begins,” the trade union leader remarked.

(This report was produced from a combination of articles originally published by Virgule and the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing, adaptation and additional reporting by Lucrezia Reale.)