Petitioners push for 30 days holidays for everyone

The petition is asking for 30 days' holidays for all

Two young people who put forward a petition to introduce 30 days holidays for all employees appeared before the ‘Chambre des Députés’ on Monday.

Denny Kanizsa and Tom Mehlen, who set up the petition, said: “You are given the opportunity to preserve people’s health.”

The petition aims to give all employees in Luxembourg 30 days paid holidays per year and the duo believe people need a sixth week of holidays, especially as some employees already benefit from the favourable working condition.

Sixth week holiday would create better work-life balance

“People could recuperate better and everyone would have the same rights,” they added.

Some of the reasons they believe the sixth week should be introduced are to help tackle stress at work and sleeping problems and to allow people to spend more time with their children.

The current legal minimum holidays is 25 days per year – the equivalent of five weeks. Within the collective convention employees often have a few extra days holidays. But 41% of employees are not part of the collective convention.

It’s a question of work intensity

Denny said: “A sixth week of legal holidays would allow a balance for everyone and people who work in some sectors, such as the hotel and restaurant sector, would not be at a disadvantage.”

But the members of parliament say a good work life balance is also a question of organisation. Alex Bodry and Taina Bofferding of the LSAP say the special leave and a better flexibility of working hours could be the answer to employees’ needs.

Work minister, Nicolas Schmit, said: “In some sectors employees already have more than 30 days’ holidays. And despite that, a number of them suffer from stress and fatigue. The question isn’t just about 25, 30 or 35 days holidays per year. It’s more of a question of work intensity.”