Over the course of his political career, Mars di Bartolomeo has been a minister, president of the Chamber of Deputies, and now an MP for the LSAP. On Saturday, Bartolomeo sat down for an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio.
Regarding the tripartite agreement, Bartolomeo stated that he would have preferred to have the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) on board as well. The LSAP MP, who pointed out that he is also a member of the OGBL, nevertheless stressed that he thinks the final agreement is “solid”. Bartolomeo declined to comment on the stance of the OGBL. It is not the first time that the OGBL and the LSAP are in disagreement, as the pension reform, for instance, already led to tensions between the two organisations. Bartolomeo stated that he acknowledges that a trade union “must play its part”, but when a socialist party is part of a government, it must “look for a balance”.
The MP considers it a “good thing” that the family allowance will remain indexed. Bartolomeo also pointed out that the family allowance will remain indexed, even if a potential wage indexation in August is postponed. The LSAP politician rejected criticism that the LSAP and the Green Party merely acted as yes-men of the Democratic Party (DP) during the tripartite negotiations. The agreement cannot be so bad, Bartolomeo argued, if the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) decided to back it in the Chamber of Deputies.
As for the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bartolomeo, who is a former minister of health, stated that the government had no other option but to “act fast”. In this context, the MP stressed that the Chamber proved that it can “work quickly” if needed. The catch with the pandemic is that it remains to be seen what comes next, Bartolomeo acknowledged. For this reason, the government tries to prepare for autumn while keeping “different hypotheses” in mind. These plans include a vaccine mandate, with Bartolomeo stressing that “getting vaccinated is a civic duty”.
The LSAP politician said that he understands that people are “slowly losing their patience” but reiterated that it is important to “stay vigilant”. A partial vaccine mandate is “definitely still on the agenda,” according to Mars di Bartolomeo.
When asked whether his party colleague Paulette Lenert will become Luxembourg’s next Prime Minister, Bartolomeo replied that “it would be good to have a woman in that position in Luxembourg”.
Bartolomeo had less kind words to offer for the former LSAP ministers Jeannot Krecké and Etienne Schneider, describing their hesitance to give up their lucrative jobs at Russian companies as a “no-go”.
