The government believes an energy crisis is a possibility. It wants to prepare for this eventuality by involving all the social partners. These social partners are divided and Luc Frieden hopes to bring people together in the face of a common threat through a tripartite format. No timetable has yet been announced.

In recent weeks, calls for a social tripartite meeting have grown in number. These joint calls have come from trade unions, employers’ organisations, the opposition and the DP. Luc Frieden is indeed set to convene one. However, it will not be the social tripartite meeting the trade unions had hoped for, but rather a tripartite meeting dedicated to the energy issue.

When? No date has been set. The Prime Minister believes that the groundwork must first be laid with the social partners. This is what Luc Frieden will be working on over the coming weeks. Discussions could begin as early as May.

If a tripartite meeting is to take place, it will not address the contentious issues of the moment, such as working hours and the minimum living wage. Instead, the agenda will focus on the consequences of the energy crisis and ways to limit its impact on households and businesses.

Wide-ranging consultations

For the Prime Minister, the key is to protect both households’ purchasing power and businesses’ profit margins. As for households, there can be no question of all the efforts made since 2023 being undone. As for businesses, we must ensure they are able to pay wages and invest in the twin environmental and digital transitions.

Whilst it seems likely that inflation will pick up again whilst growth remains sluggish, in his view, Luc Frieden wants to ensure that any decisions to be taken are made “calmly and in consultation”. A sense of calm that no longer exists at present and which will be sorely missed if decisions have to be taken in the heat of the moment, as was the case during the last tripartite meetings following the health and Ukraine crises. Nor does the financial leeway to open the floodgates exist any longer.

What about a tripartite social dialogue – a question the trade unions are sure to raise during the forthcoming consultation phase? Such a dialogue would be convened automatically if two index-linked pay rises were to follow one another within a period of 12 to 15 months, Luc Frieden has indicated.