Negotiations on renewing the collective agreement for Luxembourg's brewery workers have broken down, and in September 1997, the three representative trade unions obtained authorisation to submit the dispute to the National Conciliation Office.
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Negotiations on renewing the collective agreement for Luxembourg's brewery workers have broken down, and in September 1997, the three representative trade unions obtained authorisation to submit the dispute to the National Conciliation Office.
After a number of meetings devoted to renegotiating the collective agreement that ran out in June 1997, the social partners in Luxembourg's brewing industry held a further meeting in September to try and reach an understanding, and renegotiate on the basis of recent developments in summer turnover.
The employers - represented by the Federation of Luxembourg Brewers, which incorporates the country's five main breweries with 116 white-collar and 188 blue-collar workers - are not prepared to offer any more than a one-off pay rise of LUF 1,500. This has been turned down by the three representative trade unions at national level, the OGB-L, LCGB and FEP-FIT, which have demanded not only pay rises but also extra holiday, the introduction of compassionate leave, the opportunity to take early retirement, and extension of the 13th month's salary payment to blue-collar workers.
As the partners were unable to move any closer together in late September, the union negotiating team has now authorised its member unions to submit the dispute to the National Conciliation Office.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1997), Brewery negotiations break down, article.
