After a year of moribund social dialogue, and just a few days before the energy tripartite, May 1st promises to be an incisive one for the government. It is a new stage in the growing estrangement between the government and the unions.
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The May 1st speech is to trade unions what the State of the Nation speech is to the Prime Minister: a review of the current situation and an announcement of future measures. It is an opportunity for the unions to look back at the social battles of the past year, to recall the hot issues of the moment and their demands. May 1st is therefore an eloquent barometer of social relations and, in this case, of their tangible deterioration since the arrival of the Frieden government in power – or rather in business.
On May 1st 2023, just a few months before the general elections, the unions warned the front-runners and the future government that they would have to be reckoned with and that they would defend social gains, in particular the pension system. On May 1st 2024, the government was still finding its feet, the Minister for Labour was busy with his other portfolio and the unions were emerging from an intense campaign that was vital for them: the social elections. Pension reform, the housing crisis, tax justice and international politics were all on the agenda. A classic collection, but primarily focussed on defending pensions.
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