Luxembourg Employers' Union (UEL) Michel Reckinger as well as Labour and Sports Minister Georges Mischo express regret over Luxembourgish unions' decision to leave the labour and employment committee (CPTE).
Michel Reckinger: "We never requested a 52-hour workweek"
Michel Reckinger, president of the Luxembourg Employers’ Union (UEL), has described the decision by the trade union alliance between the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) and the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) as "regrettable and a shame". He noted that during the first round of social dialogue, both sides had agreed to discuss details of work organisation within the CPTE, with talks scheduled for October. Employer demands include issues such as the organisation of breaks.
"Currently, the law only allows one break per day, whereas in practice it often makes more sense to have two or three breaks, particularly when working from home. For example, an employee could start with home office in the morning, drive to the office after traffic has eased, then work from home again later in the day. Under the current law, this isn’t possible", Reckinger explained. "We would like to see pragmatic solutions like these clearly defined."
Reckinger rejected claims by union representatives that employers had made demands related to parental or maternity leave during negotiations on Thursday.
"We never requested a 52-hour workweek", Reckinger clarified. "I don’t know where that's coming from. So we are far from what is being alleged. As I said, these are pragmatic issues, very specific points where we would like to find solutions. For example, in retail, an employee who works on Saturdays might be forced to take Monday off, when they would prefer Wednesday. These are very specific cases where we are looking for alternative solutions to better organise work in the company. This is nothing malicious, it’s simply about the employee, and that is what we would like to discuss."
Georges Mischo: "I [...] am also saddened that they will no longer participate"
Following a similar line to UEL President Michel Reckinger, Minister Georges Mischo said on Friday morning following a council of ministers meeting that discussions at the CPTE had been intended to take place within the framework of the social dialogue. He shared:
"I had assumed that, as previously agreed, a CPTE meeting would be convened to discuss work-time organisation", the minister said. "This would have involved both employers and the trade unions. But yesterday, the news came from the OGBL and LCGB unions that they do not wish to attend. I regret this, and in a way I am also saddened that they will no longer be participating."
Minister Mischo said he would review his schedule next week to determine when he could invite the social partners to discuss work-time organisation. Asked about his ideas for possible changes, the Labour Minister stressed that employees must be at the heart of the discussions:
"That is the most important thing. The working world has completely evolved over the past 10, 20, 30 years. The labour market is developing at an enormous pace. I think we need to look at both sides, employers and trade unions, to find a common consensus, so that we can provide employees with the best possible working conditions. I don’t have any fixed ideas yet. I want to first hear and perhaps be convinced by the unions and employers about their proposals, and then we will see how to move forward."
LSAP "fully understand" unions
Following a meeting with the unions, opposition party LSAP expressed its full support for the unions’ position. In a joint statement both LSAP and the unions criticised the government’s social dialogue rounds as a farce, noting that the CSV and DP had already prepared a plan before negotiations began.
The LSAP hopes that the government will now approach upcoming negotiations in the quadripartite format, which focuses on the health insurance fund, with a greater willingness to compromise.
