19.01.2024

Introduction

Dear colleagues,

To all teachers and professionals in the private-school sector,

On 12 March 2024, you will be called upon to elect your staff representatives for a new 5-year term.

The OGBL aims to create a better working environment and to ensure the well-being and professional development of all staff in private schools. Together, we can have a positive impact on the education system and the lives of employees in the sector.

The OGBL is open to all categories of staff, including teaching staff, pupil support staff, and administrative, financial and technical staff. We try as far as possible to have representation from the different categories and departments in the schools where we propose lists of candidates, regardless of their country of residence or nationality, and try to maintain a balance between men and women.

The OGBL, which has over 300 members in the private-school sector, will continue to defend the interests of all employees in the sector! During its current mandate, the union has been able to improve working conditions and pay in establishments such as Vauban, Ecole et Lycée français de Luxembourg and the International School of Luxembourg, by negotiating their respective collective labour agreements.

With a union presence in a number of private schools in Luxembourg, the OGBL's aim is to continue its expansion in the sector so as to be able to organise the necessary counterweight to employers, and to ensure consistency in the treatment of working conditions and pay for public school staff.

The best way to develop an effective counter-power and better defend your rights and interests is therefore to strengthen the OGBL:

-> By voting for the OGBL list in the social elections to the Chamber of Employees!

-> By voting for our OGBL lists in the social elections for staff in your establishment.

With this in mind, we present our electoral program for the forthcoming social elections. It includes both national demands and demands specific to the public school sector.

Working with the public sector and improving legal texts

Employees in the private-school sector do not benefit from the same working conditions as staff in state schools. By organising regular meetings of the union leadership of SEW (Syndicat Education et Sciences de L'OGBL), we wish to continue to forge alliances with representatives of state schools in order to exchange experiences and ideas and to support each other's initiatives for upward harmonization of the Luxembourg education system. SEW/OGBL is the only trade union that covers the whole of education - basic and secondary, public and private, "traditional" and European/international.

The OGBL is calling for an improvement in the Luxembourg Labour Code, which currently makes no specific provision for the management of working time in the private-school sector. This leads to various problematic situations for some teachers, such as not being paid during July and August, or during periods of lesson preparation.

In schools that do not yet have a collective labour agreement, there is no provision for a clear and precise framework for the working time of teachers in the private sector. The OGBL wishes to put an end to this legal uncertainty by calling for the inclusion of general rules for the organisation of working time in public schools in the Luxembourg Labour Code.

Maintain automatic pay indexation!

We have successfully defended it, and we will continue to do so: the index is us!

When, in 2022, the government, employers and two minority unions attacked the index and jeopardised the system of automatic wage indexation, the OGBL was the only union to oppose it - and to underline that opposition with concrete action. While others were celebrating with the government, the OGBL was on the streets defending the index, the only guarantee of employees' purchasing power in Luxembourg.

In companies, on the streets and in the media, the OGBL was present on all fronts. Thanks to the firm and resolute action of our activists and delegates, the government successfully backed down and the mechanism was fully restored.

As a result, three index brackets are planned for 2023, whereas only one should have been paid under the tripartite agreement that the OGBL categorically and forcefully refused to sign.

The private-school sector is still a long way from the level of remuneration of the civil service in Luxembourg. In private schools that do not yet have a collective labour agreement, these are the only pay rises possible for the staff concerned.

This is why the OGBL will not accept any attack on this extremely important achievement of the Luxembourg trade union movement, and we will not allow any manipulation or restriction of it!

For better pay and working conditions under collective agreements

Not only does the OGBL continue to successfully defend the index, but the union aims to develop existing collective agreements and negotiate new ones, in order to harmonize upwards working conditions and pay in the private-school sector.

In this context, the OGBL advocates competitive and fair pay for all teachers and staff in the sector, ensuring that their commitment, skills and qualifications are adequately rewarded.

In negotiating good collective agreements that safeguard the rights of employees in the sector, the OGBL also strives to protect job security by promoting fair recruitment practices and policies that discourage arbitrary dismissals.

By settling employees' contractual working conditions collectively with the OGBL, schools can focus their efforts on adopting student-centred educational approaches.

For a work-life balance!

The OGBL will continue to press for reasonable workloads and class sizes to enable teachers and supervisory staff to maintain a good work-life balance. Following the agreement reached between the OGBL and employers at national level to introduce a right to disconnect, the OGBL will press for its rapid implementation in schools in order to avoid digital overconnectivity among employees in the sector.

Promoting a healthy working environment and preventing all forms of harassment

The OGBL intends to advocate for safe and secure working conditions in schools, through the establishment of transparent internal procedures, and through the presence of trade union delegates to support employees facing problems in their workplace, providing advice and resources to address their concerns.

The OGBL will continue to raise awareness among employers and employees of psycho-social risks in the workplace, and in particular of the various forms of harassment.

For open-ended employment contracts and against all forms of job insecurity

The OGBL campaigns against any form of insecurity of private education staff, with permanent contracts as the rule. The OGBL will continue to denounce the proliferation of unjustified fixed-term and temporary contracts, which constitute a real obstacle to the stable organization of in-house teams under constant pressure. The impact on employees' private lives is also considerable, as this type of contract makes it virtually impossible for them to make any personal investments or real estate projects.

For better continued professional training

Continued training remains a fundamental pillar in enabling employees to cope with the major changes ahead, such as digitalization and artificial intelligence. With this in mind, the OGBL is committed to strengthening continuing vocational training and increasing the related budgets.

A critical look at salary systems linked to employee performance assessment

Performance appraisal systems in schools reveal a number of concerns and potential drawbacks associated with their implementation. While these systems are often hailed as a means of motivating employees and improving their productivity, they can have a negative impact on staff morale, teamwork and the organisational culture as a whole by fostering toxic competition between colleagues, and by creating resentment over differential and subjective treatment.

The OGBL will continue to advocate objective pay based on seniority and qualifications, and will remain critical of any form of performance-related pay schemes in schools.

For more democracy

In general, we spend at least a third of our day at work. Yet this is the one place where we have no say whatsoever.

There is no democracy in the workplace: we can't elect our boss, vote for or against our establishment's policy, or even participate in the major decisions affecting our daily lives.

Counter-power in the form of union delegations had to be fought for, by organising collectively and using the means at our disposal, such as strike action.

Today, the law on staff delegations, trade union freedom and the law on collective agreements provide a small dose of democracy in our workplaces.

Over the past few years, the OGBL has done its utmost to strengthen and extend this democratic practice by electing trade union delegations in the establishments. Where the OGBL negotiates collective agreements, we have on many occasions organised staff consultations in the run-up to and during collective bargaining, whether to draw up a catalogue of demands or to approve - or not - a negotiated outcome.

Without a strong union, this form of democracy would simply not exist!

The OGBL is committed to continuing along this path and to further strengthening any practices aimed at introducing or broadening democratic participation by employees in their workplaces.

Conclusion

By voting OGBL, you are expressing your trust in the largest trade union in Luxembourg and giving it a mandate to continue its fight to improve your working conditions and pay. Together, we can shape a private-school sector that values its staff, encourages excellence in education and creates a positive impact on the lives of employees and pupils. Vote for progress, vote for unity, vote for a better future!

No false promises. Just strong actions only!