Government takes action in Hëllef Doheem job cuts

(CS/BB) With labour unions on Thursday protesting against a social plan at care service Hëllef Doheem, Luxembourg Social Security Minister Romain Schneider has said the government would get involved in the talks.

Hëllef Doheem earlier this month announced that it would have to cut 90 jobs under a social plan because of financial difficulties, caused in part because of a tighter budget under government savings measures.

Unions, however, have protested against the social plan, saying that management had failed to inform them of the problematic situation, saying that alternative solutions should be sought first.

Minister Schneider meanwhile has refuted allegations that the government is to blame for the company's difficult financial situation, citing a number of high-cost factors such as IT investments and new hires.

However, with talks between the foundation and labour unions off to a difficult start, Schneider said that the government would act as a mediator. “We want to mediate because we care about the fate of those 90 employees and we want to help contribute to keep the redundancies from happening,” he said.