In a joint press release, the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) and the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) recalled that 9 May became a public holiday in Luxembourg in 2019 to mark Europe Day, in reference to Robert Schuman's declaration of 9 May 1950.
At the time, they said, the new holiday had been presented as a measure of social progress, intended to give workers more time for their private and family lives.
However, the unions said the government, municipalities, and businesses now appear to be disregarding that original purpose. Although the new law liberalising shop opening hours will only enter into force on 18 June 2026, the government has already allowed all municipalities to grant derogations so that shops can open on 9 May.
The OGBL and LCGB described this as a further blow to retail workers, who they said already face precarious working conditions, low wages, imposed part-time work, and maximum flexibility. They accused the authorities and businesses concerned of treating retail staff like second-class employees and of undermining the very meaning of a public holiday.
The unions also rejected the argument that employees benefit from higher pay for working on a public holiday, calling it “absurd and hypocritical”. If the government and employers genuinely cared about workers’ purchasing power, they argued, they would increase the minimum wage instead.
They further warned that neither employees, employers, nor customers had expressed a need for longer opening hours, and said competitive pressure in the sector risked creating an endless spiral of extended hours at the expense of staff.
The OGBL and LCGB said they remain firmly opposed to the liberalisation of shop opening hours and called for employees' right to public holidays to be respected.
