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The mandate of the current Vice-President, Mr. Papademos, expires on 31 May 2010 and the discussions regarding his potential successor have already started. The Governor of the Central Bank of Luxembourg, who terminated the contract of a trade union representative in 2005, has been mentioned as one among a set of potential candidates.

UNI Global Union supported a complaint of its Luxembourg affiliate A-BCL to the International Labour Organisation on breach of ILO Conventions by the Luxembourg central bank.



“Trade unions support IPSO's view that the qualifications of a senior central banker must include a positive and constructive approach on social and labour relations,” says UNI Finance’s Oliver Roethig. “In particular the financial crisis has shown the important role central banks play in a modern economy. To make the European social model work, the ECB must embrace it – in its general policies as well as in its internal labour relations.”



In its letter to Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, IPSO recalls that the lack of a proper balance in labour relationships is at the heart of a series of protest actions that took place this year at the ECB, culminating in a strike action in June 2009. Following the strike, the ECB launched discussions between with IPSO in order to improve the internal social dialogue framework. Such a positive process should not be damaged by the nomination of a Vice-President who is not committed to a well-functioning social dialogue at the ECB.



IPSO insists that the totality of the qualifications of the ECB´s top management be taken into account in the nomination process of our next Vice-President, including due respect for and proper reflection of social and labour relations at the ECB.



The press, including Reuters and La Tribune, followed up on IPSO's letter.





For IPSO's letter, see attached files.



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