Grenzüberschreitende Beschäftigung

The working paper covers the thematic field “work and economic development” by describing the challenges inherent to territorial development in the Greater region. It specifically focuses on industrial history as well as on employment and cross-border work within the Greater Region.

In spite of their small sizes, Luxembourg and Switzerland have a high demand for workers. In particular, they offer employment opportunities to people crossing the border to work. The situation in the main employment sites (Luxembourg, Basel, Geneva) – but also Ticino – is the object of the subject leaflet that 19 authors submit contributions with comparing perspectives. Under consideration of central context features and methodological considerations, the geographers, economists, sociologists and politologists considered in particular the labour market, cross-border everyday life and social perception of cross-border commuters. The multidisciplinary approach was eventually condensed by the editors into shared challenges between Luxembourg and Switzerland.

This article analyses cross-border employment and secondment of employees within the greater region, SaarLorLux. It questions the practices that have developed from these forms of mobility within this cross-border space at the contact point of 4 European countries (France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium). It shows that these two forms of employment mobility demonstrate the right to mobility within Europe, which is one of the most important results of European integration. In order to support this, the author has performed various activities on site, e.g. in the scope of interviews with economic and social actors in the greater region.

In the greater region SaarLorLux, the development of atypical forms of secondment of workers between Luxembourg and Lorraine was followed. This article focuses on the cross-border secondment of temporary workers from Luxembourg to Lorraine. It turns out that French nationals are often seconded to Lorraine as temporary workers by Luxembourgian agencies. Sometimes they will work close to home. This document is structured into three parts. First, it presents the most important socio-economical dimensions of these secondment practices. Then it shows how the different economic dynamics and social legislation between countries contributed to the development of cross-border mobility (which includes the secondment of workers). Finally, it presents the current elements of the debate about secondment from the point of view of the local representatives of Luxembourg's temping agencies, representatives of the labour union and those responsible at the French labour inspection. The temping agencies in Luxembourg therefore play a determining role for Luxembourg and Lorraine. They use the different tax and social legislations on the order of the companies in Lorraine. For them, temporary workers of Luxembourgian agencies are less expensive than temporary workers from Lorraine. These are qualified workers for industry and construction. They are seconded for relatively long periods and for permanent tasks. These are also workers who have worked for Luxembourgian agencies for a long time. The different levels, employer costs, social security benefits and wages form the basis for the development of such practices. According to those responsible in the temping agencies, such practices are legal, even though they are viewed very critically by labour unions and employees in Lorraine. The labour inspectors also consider them insufficiently controlled due to lack of funds.