Luxemburgensia (8) – Urbanism

Long John the Kirchberg Commuter

A spiffing day in Luxembourg with a brilliant sun shining on a mist enveloped capital. Things are looking good for the Duchy and its people. First they were told that the population can expect to continue to grow and now we are busy unveiling plans, plans and counterplans. Yesterday’s news included the announcement that a train should be tooting through to Kirchberg Plateau (that’s the business area – a wannabe London City but blander and much, much smaller) by 2016.

That’s to join up with the tram that will discombobulate all transport until it starts running from the gare to Kirchberg by 2012 (not sure about that date). They’ll be widening a bridge for the tram and also inconveniencing several thousand commuter cars every bloody morning. But it is all for the good.

As is the new Bus Transport Plan being unveiled by Minister Lucien Lux (no, he was not given his name by J.K. Rowling) today. I like the idea. The bus network has been mapped out in a London Underground inspired kind of map and routes have been re-rationalised. Ironically the Luxembourg bus system was already tip-top before this reform so I wonder how much more efficient it could get.

Visitors planning to visit ruedebragance in the future would do well to take note that Bus No.8 no longer serves that route and it is now Bus No. 7 to do the job. Further urban upgrading is coming to fruition as Mayor Helminger unveils the new City Library in Place d’Armes that will house over 73,000 books on three floors in the former Ciné Building.

Also, the experimental phase of the Hot-City Wi-Fi network comes to an end. Expect to be charged as from the 1st October. Prices are not out yet. On a related note, Apple have finally announced that the iPhone partner in Luxembourg will be Vox – which is good because j’accuse is a vox subscriber. Estimated dates of introduction of iPhone 3G into Luxembourg vary between October and December 2008. Great. Just in time for Christmas.

Back to transport, soon after making it obligatory for drivers to have both the triangle and the shiny vest in their car, the Ministry for Transport is examining the possibility of obliging all applicants for a drivers’ licence to sit for a first aid course. Might be a necessary nuisance that is not all that criticiseable.

Immigration next. A little tussle has begun between the Luxembourg Red Cross and the Lux government over the repatriation of immigrants. The Lux government pays 1800€ per adult and 900€ per child for aid to resettle these immigrants. The Red Cross complained that the notice for the repatriation of 19 persons (four families with children) was given at too short a notice for it to organise the usual supervising accompaniment. It rejected claims from the government that it had abandoned this particular group of refugees.

Finally we must reluctantly join in the rejoicing of a nation. The Red Lions of tiny Luxembourg have defeated Switzerland 2-1 in an away game in a World Cup Qualifying Round. While Malta was busy getting trounced by Albania 3-0 the valiant Lions pulled off an unpredictable stunt beating one of the last co-hosts of the Euro 2008 tournament. Well done Lux!

To really conclude. Anybody who gives a damn should know that the Schuberfouer is over. Summer is officially over (did it ever start?) and the damn traffic should move smoother now. I will only miss that great restaurant that served the Galettes Bretonnes.

This has been J’accuse keeping you up to date about what’s going on in the Duchy.

Luxembourg to revise Hunting Laws

From station.lu

Luxembourg’s Minister of the Environment, Lucien Lux, is currently preparing a new Hunting Law for the Grand Duchy which he presented this week to Parliament. The new law is understood to be almost 5 years in preparation, during which the Environment Committee met with hunters’ representatives as well as environmentalists and farmers. The 90-paragraph bill has been prepared according to “wildlife ecological management” and aims to stabilize and maintain wildlife numbers in the Grand Duchy. The Green party has been lobbying that there are too many wild boar and deer in Luxembourg.

Feeding of wildlife by hunters is to be banned as part of the “intensive animal husbandry” initiative, and limits will be introduced and enforced. Also, landowners will have the right to deny hunters access to their lands on ethical grounds. The new bill replaces the hunting laws from 1885 and 1925.

The Greens argued that there are too many wild boar and deer in Luxembourg. Don’t you find that sentence strange?

Luxemburgensia (5): Lost Luggage

You’d think that the bigger the airline the more chances that it has a bad record of lost luggage. The magic of math however allows you to compare big and small airlines on the basis of ratios. They basically caclulate how many bags per one thousand bags go missing. The latest information on this matter was recently released by the Air Transport Users Council. Unsurprisingly British Airways top the list of lost baggage rations with 26.5 bags per 1,000. Here’s part of the report from the UK Independent:

British Airways lost more baggage per flight last year than almost any other airline in Europe.

The annual figures from the Air Transport Users Council, released today, show that in 2007, 26.5 bags per 1,000 were delayed during BA flights, compared to a European-wide average of 16.6. The only airline with a worse record was TAP Air Portugal, with a delayed-bags ratio of 27.8 per 1,000, but the figures will be more grim news for BA which was found to be the poorest performer in Europe in 2007.

Although TAP lost more bags on average last year, the data shows BA’s record is getting worse. The airline lost an extra 3.5 bags per 1,000 in 2007 than the previous year. BMI, the only other UK airline with a below-average performance, had a lost-bag ratio of 17.0 while KLM (19.7), Alitalia (19.7), Air France (17.6) and Lux Air (17.2) all fared below par. Air Malta and Turkish Airlines were the best-performing carriers with a ratio of 4.5 per 1,000.

Rich, plump Luxembourg’s national airline is among the worst airlines in Europe when it comes to trusting your luggage. Heavily subsidised Air Malta shares the enviable position of being the carrier with least lost luggage over the past year. Of course Air Malta is a crucial link in the business of giving travellers a pleasant problem free ride when they visit Malta. Whether Luxair has the customer in mind is another matter altogether. And we have not even started on the prices yet.

Luxemburgensia (4): The Hand that Feeds You (Tris)

This blog has gone on record as being particularly critical of the way the Grand Duchy seems to ignore the needs of “foreigners” working (and living) on its soil. Among the answers I got whenever I discussed this subject, the most appalling of them all was the retort that “I should not bite the hand that feeds me”. Implied in this answer was the idea that foreigners working in the Duchy are somehow indebted to Luxembourg and that their salary originates in one way or the other from the Duchy itself.

Now we all know the truth and will go on stressing that the facts point otherwise. Most salaried workers in Luxembourg do not work for Luxembourg owned companies or institutions. They work for international companies based in Luxembourg. They do spend most of their salary in Luxembourg though. They have to either rent or buy houses and have to spend much of their time living in the Duchy – hence the argument that it is the in the interest of the Duchy to keep itself attractive (or in the opinion of some – make itslef attractive) for such workers to keep living and working here. No. The argument – if you do not like it go elsewhere – does not count. It does not count because in the case of most workers it is not the country that they chose but the job – a job that Luxembourg tried to attract in the first place.

It has now become clear that the argument “if you do not like it go somewhere else” would backfire on the Luxembourgers themselves. Here’s what L’Essentiel (or rather the Lux Chambre de Commerce as reported by LE) has to say about the role of immigrant workers within Luxembourg’s economy:

La Chambre de commerce n’y va pas par quatre chemins: avec 66 % de salariés étrangers, l’immigration est «cruciale» pour la «prospérité de l’économie et la diversité culturelle du pays». Dans son avis sur le projet de loi sur la libre-circulation des personnes, elle demande au gouvernement de faciliter plus encore l’entrée et le séjour des non-Luxembourgeois. Ainsi, une personne demandant une autorisation de séjour ne devrait pas avoir à prouver qu’elle sert l’économie.

Another sign that the two way dialogue between Luxembourg and its immigrant workforce/residents needs to be improved with injections of quality and goodwill. It is in the interests of both sides. There’s no escaping that reality.

Note for readers resident in Luxembourg

As of 1st June 2008 it will be obligatory for drivers to have safety vest and safety triangle in their vehicle in case of an accident. I am told that a pack with such equipment can be bought from garages, service stations or from DIY stores like Batiself and Hornbach.

Dès le 1er juin, seconde couche, concernant les équipements de sécurité, cette fois. Vêtements de sécurité et triangle de présignalisation deviennent obligatoires à bord. Vous êtes à pied au bord de l’autoroute après une panne? Vous devrez porter votre vêtement de sécurité. Idem si vous traversez une route en rase campagne la nuit ou un jour de brouillard. Le triangle, lui, s’utilise en cas de panne quand il n’y a pas moyen de se garer en dehors de la chaussée. Il doit être placé à au moins 100 m de la voiture sur l’autoroute et 30 sur une route normale. Enfin, jusqu’à 17 ans, les enfants de moins de 1,50 m doivent être attachés grâce à un dispositif spécial.

Luxemburgensia (3) : The Hand that Feeds You (Bis)

 

From today’s Indy:

LUXAIR CALL CENTRE MAY RELOCATE TO MALTA
While many Maltese are relocating to Luxembourg to work in EU offices, the official airline of the Duchy is actively considering relocating its call centre … to Malta. The subject of the relocation of the call centre was the principal topic of the discussions within the mixed management group on Friday. According to the airline management, not a single job in Luxembourg is being threatened. The problem with the call centre is that it is closed at night and weekends so many calls go unanswered. The management has contacted other airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France and Air Malta to see how they do the job and if they can help Luxair. The workers’ representatives are against such a move and the trade union, OGBL, has publicly opposed outsourcing and relocation to Malta. The trade union said it has been informed by management that as from next year, the Luxair call centre’s activities will be partially handled by the Maltese call centre, Centercall. The trade union said it was faced by a ‘fait accompli’ against the code of ethics of the company. The workers’ representatives, as a last plea, urged taking in more employees, rather than relocating to Malta. The trade union is inviting all members to an information meeting to be held on Thursday, 24 January where other initiatives will be proposed.

***

Please note the reason of the problem that has prompted the possible move. Even better (sadly hilarious) is that the management had to call other airlines to find a solution. Why? Because opening outside the strict opening hours is unconceivable in the world of Luxembourg Customer Service. The Centre Commun de la Sécurité Sociale (CCSS) for example can be contacted during very very limited time brackets … and then only to reach a recorded answering machine notice that transfers you to a civil servant who will not answer the telephone and after the fifteenth ring the phone line will go dead. Same goes for the Tax Department in charge of payment of VAT on vehicles.

Of course J’accuse’s solidarity goes out to the Luxembourg workers and OGBL. If I were in their shoes I’d be protesting too. On the other hand we cannot help but wonder whether our various complaint calls to Luxair (that beloved monopoly of the airs still flying people to Milan at €600 a flight) will be dealt with more expeditiously by a multilingual workforce that has learnt to adapt to the needs of the world business environment and integrate with the global village.

Schéi Chrëschtdeeg to y’all!