'We have the impression that the Ministry of Labour is the antechamber of the OGBL'

"This is about the principle of social dialogue and the Minister of Labour, Georges Engel, has a very selective vision, which is different from ours as employers," according to Michel Reckinger. The president of the Luxembourg Employers' Association (UEL) appeared as a guest on RTL Radio on Wednesday morning.

The employers' representatives did not attend the presentation of the study on the reduction of working time, arguing that the invitation arrived too late and that they did not receive any documents to prepare themselves. Reckinger criticised that there is no real dialogue with the Minister, pointing out that the latter said himself in a recent interview with RTL that he does not have to consult anyone to draft laws.

Engel also called himself "the minister of workers," which Reckinger says is not correct, "he is the minister of labour." And this, according to the UEL president, includes two partners, "there are the employees but also the companies."

As with Engel's predecessor, Dan Kersch, "we have the impression that the Ministry of Labour is the antechamber of the OGBL [Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation]." Reckinger accuses the Ministry of "pushing through the OGBL's agenda," pointing out that even the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) was quoted as saying that it was not involved in social dialogue.

"We should not be discussing the reduction of working time, but the flexibility of working time," Michel Reckinger stressed, stating that he thinks this would be "in the interest of Luxembourg's competitiveness and attractiveness." For the same reason, the UEL president advocates for a modernisation of the labour law.

The employers' representative warned that if working hours are reduced by 10%, the Grand Duchy will need more workers.
"Where will we find these people?" Reckinger wondered, adding that "this will also once again have a negative impact on traffic and housing."

Reckinger refuted the LISER study's claim that people work more in Luxembourg than in neighbouring countries, citing outdated numbers. "They used figures from 2016, despite the fact that those from 2022 were available," the UEL president criticised.

Since 2016, Luxembourg has added leave days and a public holiday, and as a result, "Luxembourg is now in fourth place in Europe among countries where people work the least."