{"id":6268,"date":"2025-02-20T07:30:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T06:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/?post_type=news&p=6268"},"modified":"2025-02-20T07:30:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T06:30:28","slug":"defending-social-justice-in-a-changing-world","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/news\/defending-social-justice-in-a-changing-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Defending Social Justice in a Changing World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On 20 February, as the United Nations observes World Day for Social Justice, Luxembourg\u2019s Chambre des salari\u00e9s<\/strong> (CSL) remains at the forefront of social justice representing and defending the rights and interests of employees. Since its creation 100 years ago, it has continually evolved to keep pace with dramatic shifts in the labour market, economic conditions, and the political landscape. A recent research study<\/a> conducted by Estelle Berthereau<\/a> at the University of Luxembourg, under an agreement with the CSL, offers valuable insight into CSL\u2019s remarkable history, in the continuity of the history of the Chamber of Labour carried out by Denis Scuto (PI) on the 75th anniversary of the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This new research sheds light on the outcome of the first global overview of all the archives of these three Chambers (Chamber of Labour, \u2018Chambre des employ\u00e9s priv\u00e9s\u2019, then CSL), which allows to understand some crucial economic and social issues at stake in the history of Luxembourg. It shows how Luxembourgish trade unions helped by these Chambers, defended the rights of workers in early 20th-century industrial Luxembourg to safeguarding employees’ interests in today\u2019s fast-paced digital world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe Heart of Luxembourg\u2019s Welfare State<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Luxembourg developed its economy based on the steel industry in the late 19th century, the number of workers increased and new social issues arose. Although trade unions were created in the last half of the 19th century and the first insurance schemes (accident and pension) were set up on a modest scale in 1901 and 1913, the workers fought for greater social rights. The first idea of creating a Chamber of Workers appeared in 1918 within a commission that also called for a reduction in the working hours. This Chamber, like a \u2018Parliament of Labour\u2019, would be in charge of all the social questions of the workers and would be dealt directly by them, whose representatives would have been able to give an opinion or even decide on economic and social draft laws. This economic democracy would be based on the possibility for this Chamber to propose a law to improve the working and living conditions of the workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and other countries, such Chambers were also conceived and established, but in cooperation with employers. Only Luxembourg, following the Austrian model, developed the idea of a Chamber exclusively for employees, as one of the pillars of the construction of the welfare state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the organization represents all employees, pensioners, apprentices, and the unemployed in Luxembourg. Every five years, approximately 630,000 people participate in social elections, which play a crucial role in Luxembourg\u2019s social and economic democracy and welfare state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nA Century of Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All the social demands made by workers and left-wing Members of Parliament (such as Michel Welter) and the difficulties after the First World War (workers’ commissions, referendum and demonstration in August 1919) forced the right-wing party led by Pierre Dupong to reconsider the creation of social institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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