At the beginning of January, Georges Engel succeeded Dan Kersch as minister for labour, employment and the social and solidarity economy. Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne

At the beginning of January, Georges Engel succeeded Dan Kersch as minister for labour, employment and the social and solidarity economy. Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne

While the adoption of the right to a four-day working week in Belgium has not gone unnoticed, Luxembourg's minister of labour, Georges Engel (LSAP), says he is open to tackling the issue of reducing working hours, on the express condition that discussions are held within the framework of a social dialogue.

Belgium recently adopted the right to a four-day working week. Could this be an idea for Luxembourg?

Georges Engel: The agreement in Belgium is multifaceted. It includes the right to disconnect, the right to training, the legislation of labour laws in the context of digital platforms and the possibility of working a four-day week in order to benefit from an extra day off. It should also be noted that this agreement was made by the government, but without social dialogue, i.e. without the trade unions and employers.

However, it shows that it is possible to move the discussion on the subject of reducing working time…

The current Luxembourg government has already reduced working time by introducing an extra public holiday and an extra day off. Moreover, the agreement in Belgium does not talk about a reduction in working time, but about a different organisation of working time. Again, in Luxembourg, there are many formats for making the working week more flexible with time-saving accounts, work organisation plans, adjusted working hours, or even teleworking.

I would also like to point out that our government's coalition agreement emphasises that we are prepared to discuss other forms of work, but within the framework of a social dialogue.  If, in the future, we want to discuss a reduction in working time, I remain open to a discussion with the trade unions and employers.

As minister of labour, are you generally in favour of a reduction in working time in Luxembourg?

"Working 10 hours a day is normal for many workers, but I don't think it should be a goal. I am in favour of a reduction in working time, which could even be spread over five days. In Belgium, they talk about flexible working hours. I would prefer to talk about a concrete reduction in working time.

You attach great importance to social dialogue. Have you already discussed the issue of reducing working time with the trade unions and employers?

I recently met with the LCGB, and I will soon meet with the employers. I will not hide the fact that the agreement in Belgium was a subject of discussion. The reduction of working hours is always a subject with the unions, and I will see what the situation is with the UEL at a future meeting. Personally, I think we can agree on a win-win situation, provided that both employers and employees benefit.

This article was originally written in French for  and has been translated and edited by Delano.