In Luxembourg, the Federation of Craftsmen is demanding that an employee no longer be paid for the first day of absence. A sanction aimed at limiting “abuses”.
The idea had already been raised at the beginning of 2024, and it could undoubtedly to be talked about again in 2025 : should we, or not, introduce a waiting day in the Luxembourg Labor Code? The question has just been relaunched by a “powerful” voice among the social partners: that of the Federation of Artisans. And its director Romain Schmit assumes: “ We have reached a stage where this issue of à la carte absenteeism has become a point of fragility in many of our 9,000 companies!»
So, too often, the hierarchy unexpectedly notices that an employee is missing without necessarily having to produce proof to then justify their short-term stoppage (“ mostly on Monday but, strangely, on Friday too… “). This, firstly, ends up disrupting production plans, the organization of teams, and the continuation of construction sites. Second, “ penalizes honest colleagues who are present at their post in the absence of a justified work stoppage “. In short, it is time for this to stop for the umbrella organization of some 100,000 employees in the Grand Duchy.
And to “ worrying problem », radical solutions. It is first of all deprive any absentee of the salary of their first day not worked. Furthermore, the Federation invites inspectors from the National Health Fund to show themselves more rigorous in their controls. In this case, employers go so far as to request systematic checks “to limit unjustified absences”
For its part, according to the Federation, Occupational Medicine must ensure better monitoring of these personnel who are too often unable to be found at their post and “ identify abusive tendencies ».
A study of the causes
Finally, the artisanal sector demands to put an end to the system allowing it to continue to accumulate leave rights for employees absent on a recurring or prolonged basis. A measure which, however, is not directly within the responsibility of the Luxembourg state, but follows a European decision.
The Federation also considers that the establishment of the digital medical certificate in the country and among its neighbors would allow a “ automated tracking » simpler abusive behavior. The CNS, which is already seeing “false certificates” flooding in, should then adapt its services to this new tool. “ But we are certain that this expense would save a lot of money to the health fund and businesses », insists Romain Schmit.
Luxembourg is not the only country agitated by this question of the waiting day. At the start of winter, the France had also put the subject back on the table. The question then was whether the entire civil service should be subject to the same regime as private sector employees: either 3 days of waiting (compared to only 1 for staff of the French Administration until then).
The idea was again to reduce a rate of absenteeism considered too high in the public service (12 days/year in 2023 compared to 10.7 in the private sector). But the end of the Barnier Government and the arrival as Prime Minister of François Bayrou seems to have swept away the project. Who knows, when France’s next 2025 budget is mentioned, the sea serpent will perhaps resurface…
“In any case,” concludes the director of the Fédération des Artisans, in Luxembourg, “it is clear that we must act against this derivative brief, multiple and “comfortable” absenteeism. Since 2019, absenteeism has increased by + 40% with devastating effects particularly in artisanal SMEs. »
On the government side, the introduction of the waiting day does not not part of the Coalition Agreement. But the measures envisaged by 2028 clearly speak of “ fight against all forms of abuse “. Before determining which weapon(s), a study of causes of this absenteeism was requested from the CNS. Just to see if these are indeed unacceptable behaviors or just the fact of an increase in absences for health reasons.
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