Luxembourg trade union LCGB today announced its demands for an attractive legal framework for employees in the commercial sector regarding prolonged opening hours.
In the context of an investigation launched on 4 May 2018 to analyse the working conditions of employees in the commercial sector, the LCGB has once again stressed that any extension of opening hours must be accompanied by an attractive legal framework for employees. Announced in 2015 by the Secretary of State for the Economy Francine Closener, the survey carried out in collaboration with the LISER was finally sent to around 20,000 employees concerned by the extended opening hours.
As the current law governing hours of operation is accompanied by 27 derogations, an adaptation of the legal framework is absolutely necessary, according to the trade union. In this context, the LCGB refuses full liberalisation but claims a clear law is precise regulating possible extensions of opening hours creating beyond an attractive legal framework for employees.
With regard to the organisation of working time, the new PAN law, despite an agreement at the time of the UEL, did not introduce the principle of co-management between staff delegations and employers. However, the LCGB has stressed that such co-management is a key element in order to value the justified interests of employees and to allow them to balance their family and professional life while being able to guarantee the proper functioning of businesses.
In order to make the trade sector even more attractive to employees than today, the LCGB has emphasised the necessity of a series of adaptations of general organisational measures. Adjustments to day nursery and weekend public transport schedules, for instance, should reflect the varied working hours of employees in the retail sector.
The LCGB has also demanded that Sunday work be done on a voluntary basis with adequate remuneration and compensation for more days off and rest. Sunday working time will have to be part of the 40 hours of work per week and the maximum of 4 hours of Sunday work will have to be abolished in order to guarantee weekly rest periods of 44 hours.
