Luxembourg’s political parties claim to want to encourage working from home, but their visions do not all match up. Since the Covid crisis, the ability to work from home has become a major criterion for Luxembourg’s employees and is now an attractive asset for many businesses.
Arguments in favour of teleworking include a better work-life balance, fewer hours lost to commuting, lower fuel costs, and more efficient work away from the vagaries of office life.
As the parliamentary elections approach this Sunday, the majority of political parties say they want to promote teleworking. But how do they plan to encourage flexible workplaces according to their manifestos?
The Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) supports the introduction of two days of teleworking per week for residents and cross-border workers, where technical conditions allow, in conjunction with the trade unions.
The party said it was committed to “continuing negotiations with neighbouring countries regarding the bilateral agreements in place, to increase the number of days of teleworking for cross-border workers.” Currently, French and Belgian cross-border employees are entitled to work from home 34 days per year while being taxed in their country of employment. German cross-border workers, currently permitted to work just 19 days a year from home, will receive the same annual entitlement from 2024.
However, in order to achieve two days of teleworking per week, the current bilateral agreements would have to increase the threshold to 90 days per year.
TheGreens (déi Gréng) are also campaigning for “at least” two days working from home per week, according to their manifesto. They propose an in-depth examination of the teleworking regime in order to “identify injustices and remove ambiguity from employees’ rights to work from home, for example, concerning the purchase of digital and technical equipment.”
The party also plans to develop a guide to teleworking for the municipal sector and says it is counting on trade unions to “rely on science” in order to measure the benefits and influence of teleworking on working conditions and productivity.
The manifesto of The Left (Déi Lénk) says “the legal framework must evolve in the interest of employees,” but also acknowledges that employees should have the right to refuse to work from home. The party references “the right to have free time and to disconnect” and also brings up material costs, arguing in favour of employer contributions to telecommunications, energy and housing costs.
The party also intends to “evolve” the current annual entitlement for cross-border workers according to agreements with neighbouring countries.
The Pirate Party says that “working from home must be permitted by employers where possible,” citing the positive effect on traffic congestion as a major benefit.
Fokus adds childcare to one of the benefits, using the example of an employee being able to carry out school drop-offs and pick-ups without requiring additional public childcare. “This has a cost, and we all pay for it through our taxes.”
The Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), Luxembourg’s largest political party, declined to provide figures, but claims it will clarify the conditions of working from home in terms of taxation, social security and a set number of days per week for residents and cross-border workers. The party supports “optional” teleworking, saying it “is always done on the basis of a mutual agreement between employer and employee.”
“We have neither the right nor the obligation to work from home,” the CSV says.
The Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) says teleworking should be “done on a voluntary basis unless otherwise clearly regulated in employment contracts at the time of hiring.”
The party adds that it does not want employees to be “forced” to work from home and warns against employers “encroaching on their private lives” when teleworking.
The Pirates also reference potential abuse by employers, arguing in favour of “a clear legal framework to guarantee the employee’s rights.”
The DP claims it will continue to encourage teleworking “through a modern tax system”, particularly for start-ups as it would enable them to better retain a talented workforce.
Pierre Gramegna and Yuriko Backes, both DP finance ministers, were responsible for signing tax agreements on teleworking with Luxembourg’s neighbours – first in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, then with the sole aim of promoting “a formula which has proven its advantages” – namely, the reduced commute and a better work-life balance, according to the Prime Minister’s party.
The Pirates propose more concrete solutions to promote working from home, such as introducing tax relief for businesses and tax reductions for employees. In addition, the party also supports teleworking within the State itself “where possible”, as well as the creation of cross-border activity zones “allowing people to work, with a legal and fiscal framework developed for the Greater Region.”
