A law against Uberization, and fast! Since the health crisis, delivery platforms, whose model is based on the one of the big platforms such as Deliveroo or UberEats, have established in Luxembourg. Like their “big” competitors, these platforms work with fake freelancers who, although they do not have an employee status, are in a very clear subordination relationship with their sponsor. Thus, these platforms, such as WeDely or Goosty, not only set the remuneration of the delivery men and women or the route they must take, but also evaluate their performance, reserving the right to punish them in case of non-respect of the instructions. These practices make it possible to exploit delivery men and women who find themselves in more than precarious situations, but they also undermine labor law and the Luxembourg social model, which is based on the status of employees. Moreover, it is also the profession of the deliverer which, in the long term, is thus sold off. Everywhere in Europe, legislative initiatives to curb this phenomenon are emerging. The European Commission has proposed a directive on this subject, which provides for the possibility of reclassifying the labor relationship between the platform and its workers as an employee contract. Recently, the European Parliament has even proposed to go further and introduce a “refragable presumption” of an employee relationship between the worker and the platform. This provision would allow national authorities to requalify the existing link between a platform and its workers and it would be up to the firm to provide the opposite proof. In Luxembourg, the Chamber of Employees (CSL) has drafted a law proposal along the same lines. This proposal is obviously supported and carried by the OGBL. This law proposal has also been introduced in the Chamber of Deputies by an opposition party. At the CSL’s New Year’s reception, the Minister of Labor announced that he himself had worked on a draft law. What is certain is that it is urgent! Hundreds of delivery men and women are currently being exploited by delivery platforms. Some of them have chosen to organize themselves within the OGBL and thus commit themselves to better working conditions. In this context, the OGBL’s Commerce Syndicate, which brings together platform delivery workers, is calling on the government and in particular the Minister of Labor: There is still time to legislate before the legislative elections! Press release by the OGBL Commerce Syndicate, February 16, 2023
More than 1,000 additional employees benefit from a collective agreement In the trade and garages sector – a sector where the coverage rate of collective labor agreements is among the lowest in Luxembourg – more than 1,000 additional employees have benefited from a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in the space of two years. In the last two years, the OGBL has negotiated a whole series of new collective agreements and has also been able to extend the scope of the collective agreement for garages. In the last two years, new collective agreements have been signed mainly in the fashion sector. Although the first collective agreements were implemented mainly in the multinational fashion companies such as H&M, Inditex or C&A, more and more smaller companies follow in their footsteps. In recent times, collective agreements have been signed in companies with twenty or less employees. Thanks to the work of the OGBL in the trade and garage sector, a total of more than 15,000 employees are now covered by a CBA and thus benefit from more favourable working conditions than those provided for by law. The Commerce Syndicate will, of course, continue to improve working conditions in the sector through an offensive salary policy aimed at increasing the coverage of collective agreements. However, there are limits to this: the vast majority of companies in the retail sector have fewer than 15 employees. In terms of resources, it is almost impossible to negotiate so many collective agreements in hundreds of small companies. That is why the OGBL’s Commerce Syndicate is calling for a sectoral collective agreement for small businesses. The CLC (Luxembourg Trade Confederation – Confédération Luxembourgeoise du Commerce), which represents employers in the sector, categorically refuses that such a sectoral collective agreement should be negotiated, arguing that it would not be in the interests of businesses to do so. Recent agreements and the fact that a number of small businesses have negotiated and signed collective agreements prove otherwise! The OGBL syndicate continues to demand the introduction of a sectoral collective agreement for employees in small businesses. In this context it also calls on the Minister of Labor to finally undertake a reform of the law on collective agreements, in particular to promote the negotiation of sectoral collective agreements – a reform to which the government committed itself in its coalition agreement and which the OGBL has been demanding for several years already. At the same time, the Commerce Syndicate is, of course, continuing to negotiate new collective agreements at company level, thereby improving working conditions and wages in the sector. Press release of the OGBL Commerce Syndicate, February 6, 2023
OGBL Syndicate Commerce grows stronger The OGBL Commerce family is expanding into the pharmaceutical distribution sector. Hanff – Global Health Solutions now has its first OGBL staff delegation. The 100-year-old company, which specializes in the distribution of drugs, pharmaceuticals and veterinary products, is located in Ellange. The wholesaler, which provides service and logistics to pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers, employs around 100 people. The OGBL holds all the effective mandates, i.e. five, as well as one deputy mandate. This expansion in the sector demonstrates once again the confidence of the employees in the OGBL Syndicate Commerce. The new delegates can count on the support, assistance and expertise of the OGBL, in order to defend the interests of the employees in their company in the best possible way. Press release by the OGBL Syndicate Commerce January 24, 2023
Consent on the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement On January 18, 2023, the OGBL, majority union and spokesperson for the staff’s side, the LCGB and the management of Casino 2000 signed a consent on the renewal of the collective labor agreement (CBA) covering the company’s 118 employees. Negotiations to renew the CBA, which began in September 2022, have resulted in an agreement covering the period from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. The agreement provides for the introduction of meal vouchers with a face value of 5.60 euros per day worked in 2023 (employee share: 2.80 euros). The face value will increase to 8.40 euros on April 1, 2024 and to 10.80 euros on July 1, 2025. The employee share will remain constant at 2.80 euros. For the period from January 2023 to April 2024, this represents a net increase of 50.40 euros per month for a full-time employee. For the period from April 2024 to July 2025, the net increase is 100.80 euros, rising to 144 euros from July 1, 2025. The negotiated agreement was presented to the company’s employees on January 9. At the end of the presentation, 96% of the employees present voted in favor of the agreement. The contracting unions welcome an agreement that reinforces the purchasing power of Casino 2000 employees. Press release by the OGBL Commerce union January 19, 2023
Accord sur le renouvellement de la convention collective de travail chez H&M — des améliorations substantielles pour le personnel L’OGBL, seul syndicat représenté chez H&M, a trouvé le 16 décembre 2022 un accord avec la direction concernant le renouvellement de la convention collective de travail du personnel de H&M. Le nouveau texte coordonné a d’ores et déjà été signé. La convention collective de travail, couvrant les 280 salariés des magasins H&M, Cos, Weekday, Other Stories, Arket, apporte des améliorations substantielles pour le personnel. L’accord couvre la période allant du 1er janvier 2023 au 31 décembre 2025. Pour rappel, une première convention collective avait pu être introduite chez H&M en 2018, à l’issue de négociations qui avaient duré plusieurs années. Il s’agit de la convention collective qui couvre le plus grand nombre de salariés dans le secteur de la mode. Outre la sauvegarde des acquis existants, les avancées suivantes ont pu être obtenues dans le cadre du renouvellement de la convention collective: augmentation de la valeur faciale des chèques-repas qui passe de 6,60 euros à 10,80 euros au 1er janvier 2023 (part salariale: 2,80 euros; part patronale: 8 euros), ce qui représente une augmentation nette de 75 euros par mois pour un temps plein augmentation du supplément pour heures prestées le dimanche qui passe de 70 à 95% introduction d’un jour de congé de base supplémentaire pour les assistants de vente et pour les «visual merchandisers» (=27 jours de base) introduction de jours de congé d’ancienneté supplémentaires (entre 1 et 2) selon la tranche d’ancienneté (au total: 3 jours de congés d’ancienneté à partir de 5 ans, 5 jours à partir de 10 ans, 6 jours à partir de 15 ans, 7 jours à partir de 20 ans, 8 jours à partir de 25 ans) introduction de 5 jours de congés supplémentaires pour les contrôleurs/contrôleuses (les autres responsables disposent déjà de 5 jours supplémentaires) mise en place d’une procédure de prise de congés simplifiée dans l’intérêt du salarié introduction d’un compte épargne-temps (CET) octroi d’un bon de voyage à hauteur de 1000 euros pour 30 années de service octroi d’un chèque cadeau à hauteur de 35 euros euros pour tout salarié en fin d’année versement d’une prime de départ à la retraite introduction d’une procédure relative au télétravail pour le personnel administratif introduction du droit à la déconnexion introduction d’une procédure contre le harcèlement Toutes les autres dispositions de la convention collective restent en vigueur. Par ailleurs, il a été convenu de travailler sur la mise en place d’une véritable grille des salaires par fonction et par ancienneté au courant des mois à venir et en amont des prochaines négociations. A noter que les absences pour cause de chômage partiel ne seront plus déduites de la prime de fin d’année à hauteur d’un mois de salaire. En 2020, une telle déduction avait donné lieu à un conflit social au sein de l’entreprise. L’OGBL ainsi que la délégation du personnel se réjouissent de cet accord dans l’intérêt du personnel et tiennent à souligner la qualité du dialogue social tout au long des négociations et plus généralement dans l’entreprise. Communiqué par le syndicat Commerce de l’OGBL, le 19 décembre 2022
Renouvellement de la convention collective de travail pour les salariés de Cora L’OGBL, en tant que porte-parole lors des négociations, et le LCGB ont signé récemment avec la direction du groupe CORA, le renouvellement de la convention collective de travail (CCT) qui couvre les 466 salariés de Cora Foetz et Cora City Concorde. La nouvelle CCT est d’application avec effet rétroactif au 1er janvier 2022 et restera en vigueur jusqu’au 31 décembre 2024. La nouvelle CCT vient introduire, avec effet rétroactif au 1er novembre 2022, une nouvelle grille des salaires, s’étendant désormais sur 40 ans de carrière et comprenant 10 catégories — le salaire social minimum ayant connu plusieurs augmentations depuis 2002, l’ancienne grille des salaires était devenue totalement caduque. La nouvelle CCT prévoit désormais également une prime d’expérience mensuelle brute, allant de 0 à 40 euros selon l’ancienneté (prime proratisée pour les temps partiels). La prime trimestrielle de «présentéisme» se voit, elle, améliorée: lorsqu’un arrêt maladie chevauche deux trimestres, seul l’un des deux trimestres ne sera désormais plus validé en vue de l’obtention de cette prime. Une autre amélioration que vient apporter la nouvelle CCT est l’indexation de la prime «allocations pour charges familiales». Un accord portant sur le travail du dimanche allant au-delà de 4 heures de travail a également pu été trouvé. Celui-ci pourra être effectué sur base d’un commun accord et il sera majoré à 100%. En outre, une prime unique de 240 euros sera versée au courant du mois de décembre 2022 (proratisée en fonction du régime hebdomadaire — temps plein/ temps partiel — et de la présence). A noter, enfin, que l’ensemble des acquis sociaux contenus dans l’ancienne convention collective ont pu être sécurisés! Après de longues négociations, les syndicats contractants se réjouissent d’un bon accord, dans l’intérêt des salariés de Cora Foetz et Cora City Concorde. Communiqué par le syndicat Commerce de l’OGBL le 16 décembre 2022