© Sarah Cames / RTL
Labour Minister Mischo questions the relevance of the construction sector's three-week summer shutdown amid numerous ongoing projects, suggesting possible reforms pending union consultations.
On Wednesday morning, Luxembourg's Minister of Labour, Georges Mischo, addressed labour policy during an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio.
One key topic was collective leave in the construction sector. Mischo raised the question of whether this long-standing practice remains appropriate given the large number of ongoing construction projects in the country.
While the Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (ITM) currently reviews and grants exceptions to collective leave, the minister believes a broader discussion is needed. He suggested that an alternative to the three-week summer shutdown in the construction sector might be possible, but such a change would first require consultations with trade unions.
The labour minister explained that he has set three major priorities to be tackled over the current legislative period: reviewing collective bargaining agreements, reinforcing social dialogue in companies, and organising work hours. This also includes Sunday work, which was touched upon in the coalition agreement.
Mischo said more details will follow, but the exact form remains to be seen. A project is likely to be drawn up after the summer break. He discussed what he called a modernisation of legal Sunday working hours, which should be increased to eight hours.
Regarding collective bargaining agreements, the minister anticipates a draft bill by the end of the year, though he acknowledged that the context varies depending on company size.
The coalition agreement also included the issue of remote work, but so far, government officials have not yet considered the legal regulation of teleworking.
Additionally, the Ministries of Labour, Health, and Family are planning to jointly present a social package to the government council before the All Saints' holidays. This package is expected to propose more flexible maternity leave, allowing new mothers to potentially take six of the eight weeks of leave following childbirth, for instance.
