Luxembourg’s national authority for monitoring labour conditions and workplace safety (ITM) imposed fines totalling just over €3.4 million on companies in 2024, according to its annual report released on Monday.
A total of 765 fines were issued to businesses that did not act upon requests of the Inspection du travail et des mines to rectify regulatory violations, despite receiving prior warnings.
Labour Minister Georges Mischo and ITM Director Marco Boly shared the findings during a press conference, sharing a “shift in the administration’s approach”. The 2024 strategy focused on prevention and monitoring rather than strict control.
More than 1,800 inspections were carried out last year, affecting over 7,000 employees. As a result, ITM issued 2,297 requests for corrective action to companies.
It also forwarded 51 protocols to the public prosecutor’s office and submitted seven deficiency reports to the competent district courts. One such report involved a company that was “obviously unable to pay wages,” according to the ITM.
Awareness campaigns
Numerous awareness initiatives accompanied the watchdog’s enforcement efforts. Campaigns targeted young people through the “Stage & Job” programme, and outreach was extended to schools, the hospitality and agriculture sectors, and the general public.
A structural reform of the ITM is currently in preparation, in line with the 2023-2028 coalition agreement. It aims to improve access to information, enhance support for small and medium-sized enterprises, expand internal expertise – particularly regarding mental health in the workplace – and strengthen collaboration with national and European stakeholders.
We would like to see the educational aspect of controls become more prominent
Marco Boly
ITM Director
“Risks must be anticipated, changes must be accompanied and a work culture based on prevention must be established,” said Mischo.
“We want to see the educational aspect of controls become more prominent. […]The ITM is not limited to sanctions it should also inform, explain and encourage compliance,” said ITM Director Boly.
Looking ahead, the watchdog plans to introduce new control practices in 2025 that focus on education, explanation and voluntary compliance, especially among SMEs. The agency will also start addressing psychosocial risks like burnout, stress, isolation, digital transformation and evolving employment dynamics.
(This article was first published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing and adaptation by Lucrezia Reale.)