“I’m amazed at how many people are expressing their opinions about Sunday work and extended opening hours who don’t work in retail at all,” Goeres said. “It’s like a football match where everyone’s yelling from the couch for players to run faster.”
Goeres stressed that there is often a disconnect between theory, politics and everyday retail reality. Luxembourg’s commerce sector employs around 50,000 people, half of whom work in retail. Large wholesalers like Grosbusch, Provençal or Fixmer wouldn’t be affected by the debate over shop opening hours, Goeres said. “They can buy their bananas at two in the morning if they want, and no one else will get them.”
According to Goeres, about 75% of Luxembourg’s 25,000 retail workers are already covered by a collective agreement. That leaves roughly 6,500 employees – mostly in small family-run businesses with fewer than seven staff – who are not. “These are places where family values still matter, where unions don’t even show up, and where trying to impose a collective agreement simply isn’t realistic,” he added.
Goeres praised the courage of Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Ministers Georges Mischo and Lex Delles for taking on what he sees as long-overdue issues. “There’s only one person who really decides what kind of commerce is allowed, and that’s the customer,” he said. “And there’s only one person who decides whether a business opens, and that’s the employee.”
The retail sector is already grappling with a labour shortage, Goeres pointed out. “If people didn’t want to work on Sundays, they wouldn’t apply. But they do, because they want to. Many prefer having two days off during the week to enjoy their free time.”
He also rejected the stereotype that retail is dominated by single mothers. “Half of retail workers are men, and half are women. That rumour is simply false.”
One of the Council of State’s recent opinions expressed concern that liberalising shop hours could disadvantage small businesses, which may lack the staff or resources to stay open longer than larger competitors. Goeres dismissed the claim: “You can’t throw everything into one pot. No one will suddenly stay open from early morning until late at night. The customer decides, and the market adapts.”
He believes different types of shops will adopt different strategies: “Some might open at 5am, others during the day, and others may stay open into the evening. Let people work when there’s demand.”
Goeres also took aim at union positions, criticising their opposition to letting independent staff delegates negotiate collective agreements. “That’s audacious,” he said. “It’s like saying delegates in small companies aren’t good enough to do the job.”
He concluded by calling for more direct dialogue with politicians and urged them to visit retail businesses to see the day-to-day reality for themselves.
