Minister Kersch, my colleagues and I at AMCHAM thank and compliment you and the members of the Ministry of Labour for all of your efforts to ensure the health and well- being of the working population of Luxembourg. We acknowledge the hard work and sacrifices of you and your staff to keep employees safe and protected. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by AMCHAM:
Amcham -Please tell our readers about yourself and your background so our readers can better understand who you are and the beliefs which guide your approach as Minister of Labour.
Dan Kersch (DK) – Being a member of the LSAP since 1991, I got elected for the first time to the municipal council of Mondercange in 1999. From 2006 on, I served as the mayor of Mondercange and I was also the president of the Syvicol which is the umbrella organization of the Luxembourgish cities and municipalities. Before entering the government, I have also been a member of the State Council from 2011 to 2013. On the professional level, I have been a civil servant at the municipality of Bettembourg.
Amcham -What is the philosophically approach which guides your relations with labour and management?
DK – I am convinced that social dialogue is the key for a good relationship with labour and management. The Luxembourgish tripartite approach has usually led to good results. A good recent example is the new law about internships. Together with trade unions, employer’s representatives and student organizations an agreement that all parties will benefit from, could be found.
Amcham – Before the start of the Corona crisis, what were the most important concerns you had as Minister of Labour and how did you plan to deal with them?
DK – The world of labour is undergoing fundamental changes. This is above all due to digitalization. New forms of labour become more and more important and we discover that our current labour legislation is not yet adapted to these changes.
Despite the current Corona crisis, this topic will remain a priority of my political agenda. Closely related to the topic of digitalization, is the development of skills to guarantee the employability of all workers.
Amcham – What were the first reactions and most critical issues identified by you and your staff as priority considerations in the earliest days of this Corona crisis?
DK -There were a few issues that we had to deal with. First, we had to make clear what happens to employees touched by the Corona virus. These were above all technical questions that were nevertheless crucial. It was at that point essential to guarantee the health and security of all employees. In a second phase, when the lockdown had been decided by the government, we had to make sure that companies were not forced to make employees redundant. Short-time working was the most important measure to avoid that phenomenon. Another crucial issue was the leave for family reasons. As pupils and students were forced to stay at home, we had to give the possibility to parents to take care of their children.
Amcham – What actions have you taken and what policies have you changed to ensure the safety of workers during this crisis? Are you satisfied with what has been done or is there anything you would, do differently in hindsight?
DK – With regards to the safety of workers during the crisis, I have to say the Luxembourgish labor legislation has always been clear on the responsibilities of employers. Labour code predicts that the employers have to take care of the health and security of their employees. Considering that background, we did not have to change many policies. It was more a question of being precise with regards to the current crisis. Afterwards, one can always conclude that things should have been done differently. But, after all, I think that the government took the right decisions with regards to safety.
Amcham – What are the most important concerns you have as Minister of Labour today?
DK– Today, it is clear that we have to deal with the consequences of the crisis on the labour market in general. We have to make the right decisions in order to help companies not to be forced to make employees redundant. On the other hand, it is our duty to take all necessary measures to bring people who have lost their jobs back to work. A series of measures have already been decided and I am convinced that all these measures will help us to weaken the effects on the labour market.
Apart from the current crisis, I am convinced that we have to deal with the current transformation of the world of labour. Considering digitalization, upskilling is one of the key issues for the following years. We have to make sure that people who are looking for a job fit the profiles that companies are looking for.
A second issue are the new forms of labour. The crisis has shown that concepts such as the home or mobile office will more and more have an impact on the way we daily work. I have to admit that labour legislation nowadays does not give all the answers to the questions that come along with these developments.
Amcham – The recent agreement between Management and labour on home working demonstrated the fundamental continuity of the tripartite approach which has existed for many years in Luxembourg. We offer our congratulations on the successful outcome and would welcome your observations of the challenges of the negotiations.
DK – The agreement is not necessarily the result of the tripartite approach, as the government did not really intervene in the process. I have always insisted on the fact that the old agreement between Management and labour should be replaced by a new agreement and I am quite happy to see that a new agreement, that takes into consideration the experiences during the crisis, could be found.