Labour Day: Working together for a fairer workplace

As it does every year, ALEBA wishes its members the very best for Labour Day. This year has been marked by major challenges, but together we have risen to them with determination and solidarity.

Among our notable achievements, we won an extra seat on the CSL in the last social elections in March; we defended the rights of employees concerning meal vouchers for teleworkers; we defended significant progress on the classification of false managers; and we supported German cross-border workers in the face of taxation of overtime by the German tax authorities. These battles bear witness to our ability to act effectively and decisively on behalf of employees.

In 2025, we remain resolute in our uncompromising defence of employment in Luxembourg. Faced with the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence, we are committed to preserving jobs by promoting access to ongoing training or retraining for every employee.

We will also continue our fight against outsourcing, by proposing sanctions or financial compensation for companies that resort to it, and by calling for a lowering of the economic redundancy thresholds that trigger redundancy plans.

In terms of rights, we will ensure that the rules are strictly adhered to, with particular protection for employees facing redundancy or long-term sick leave, as well as those benefiting from extraordinary leave such as maternity or parental leave.

Collective Labour Agreements

We are committed to negotiating, improving or creating high-quality Collective Labour Agreements that truly reflect the reality of employees, their needs and their interests, so that Luxembourg can finally reach the 80% mark for employees covered by agreements. In particular, we call on the government to specify the concrete measures undertaken to achieve this ambitious objective. Worse still, while this directive imposes the reinforcement of coverage by Collective Labour Agreements, ALEBA expresses its deepest concern at the practices of certain companies which seek, on the contrary, to exclude their employees from the scope of CLAs. In particular, we note that, when companies are transferred, employees initially covered by the CLA for the banking sector are notified by their new employer that this fundamental right could be withdrawn from them, even though it is enshrined in their original employment contract.

ALEBA will remain particularly vigilant in the face of these abuses, and reiterates that the preservation of acquired rights - in particular those resulting from a collective agreement - must be fully guaranteed in order to preserve confidence in the labour market, guarantee social stability and support sustainable and socially responsible economic development.

Bilateral tax agreements

We are also deeply concerned about the impact of bilateral tax agreements between Luxembourg and its neighbouring countries on cross-border (tele)workers. While these agreements aim to avoid double taxation, they introduce tolerance thresholds for teleworking which, in practice, severely restrict the flexibility of cross-border commuters.

This situation creates clear discrimination between residents and non-residents: while employees residing in Luxembourg can telework without restriction, cross-border commuters have to limit themselves so as not to be penalised fiscally, if they are not already penalised (for example, the taxation of overtime and, for the first time, the participation bonus for German cross-border commuters, etc.). On the other hand, these tax restrictions dissuade many talented people from coming to work in Luxembourg.

This trend is extremely damaging to the competitiveness and productivity of Luxembourg, which is heavily dependent on its cross-border workforce. It is imperative that these tax treaties be re-evaluated as a matter of urgency in order to adapt them to the realities of modern work and to restore fair treatment between residents and cross-border commuters.

Pensions reform

We will continue to be involved in the pension reform announced by the government last autumn, and to work to ensure that workers' rights are protected sustainably and fairly. More generally, we wish to reiterate our role as a social partner in issues as varied as Sunday work, CLA negotiations and cross-border work.

The entire ALEBA team, its Executive Committee and its Board of Directors wish its members the very best of health, happiness and success. May we continue to move forward together, united by our shared values, to build a fairer and more equitable future for all employees in Luxembourg.

Happy Labour Day to you all!