The other parliament

While election fever for the European elections on June 9th remains relatively subdued among political parties, trade unions are in the final stretch of the social elections. Like the legislative and European elections, these occur every five years. However, unlike the latter, participation is not compulsory. Instead, every employee, apprentice, pensioner, and jobseeker who is or was employed in Luxembourg can take part, irrespective of nationality, whether EU citizen or non-EU citizen.

The social elections on March 12th concern both the composition of staff delegations in companies with at least 15 employees and the composition of the Chamber of Employees (CSL, Chambre des Salariés). The Chamber comprises 60 seats, currently distributed as follows: OGBL holds 35 seats, LCGB 18 seats, ALEBA four seats, FNCTTFEL two seats, and Syprolux one seat.

Just as the chamber, municipal, and European elections are significant for political parties, the social elections hold similar importance for trade unions, showcasing their strength. The CSL is further divided into nine professional groups to ensure representation across various socio-professional sectors: iron and steel industry (five seats), other industries (eight seats), construction (six seats), financial services (eight seats), service sector (14 seats), administration and public enterprises (four seats), health and social affairs (six seats), national railway company (three seats), and pensioners (six seats).