Jean-Louis Lannoo, a strong voice for employees: elected President of the delegation at CACEIS Bank

Union corridors of the Luxembourg banking sector, Jean-Louis Lannoo has just been elected Chairman of the staff delegation at CACEIS Bank, Luxembourg Branch. Committed, outspoken and firmly focused on people, he is the embodiment of sincere and determined trade unionism.

A Belgian national, Jean-Louis has been working in the Grand Duchy since 2001. In fact, it was that same year that he became involved in the trade union movement, under very concrete circumstances.

"It all started when my employer refused to pay me for overtime," he recounts. "I turned to ALEBA, who defended me. We won. This victory opened my eyes to the strength of trade union solidarity."

Since then, Jean-Louis has never stopped defending the rights of his colleagues. He has witnessed – and been an active participant in – numerous struggles, legal battles, and social negotiations.

"We live in a very different era now. When I first got into finance, the Collective Bargaining Agreement already existed. I wasn't interested in trade unionism. All the laws and benefits were already there, and I thought that was normal. I didn't know it was the result of trade union negotiations.

Today, I have experienced several social plans. I've known colleagues who threw in the towel and left the banking sector, only to recontact me later to say, ’You can't imagine! Where I am now, there aren't as many days off, no June bonus, no flexible hours...’ People don't realise everything that unions do for employees. For the Collective Bargaining Agreement alone, it's important to join a union.

Going to court costs money. To do that, a union needs members. A strong union is a supported one. Without that, you can't take action.  A strong union means protected employees.”

As Chairman of the Delegation, Jean-Louis knows that he has to be a good listener, diplomatic and firm.

“I have 30 delegates to bring together, with very different profiles, backgrounds and ideas. My role is to create a united delegation, a coherence in action. It's a real challenge, but it's also a richness."

His work has already resulted in tangible progress. For example, he has changed the way overtime is paid, refusing to set the bar at 42 or 41 hours and campaigning firmly for overtime to be counted from the 40th hour.

He also obtained an extension of the information/consultation period for the delegation at CACEIS, formerly limited to 48 hours, to several weeks – an important development to allow for true social dialogue.

At the time of RBC IS (acquired by CACEIS), when it came to defending an unfairly dismissed employee, Jean-Louis never gave up. After two years of battle, the company preferred to settle rather than go to court. One more victory, silent but decisive.

Committed, but never dogmatic, he recaps his stance in one sentence: " I defend causes, not political colours”.

Jean-Louis Lannoo is an example of a grassroots trade unionist who has forgotten nothing of his journey, nor of the injustice that put him on this path. With him, the delegation at CACEIS is in good hands - human, solid, committed.

Don't miss our interview with Richard Collarini, Diversity & Inclusion Officer at CACEIS Bank.