The new law, which the Chamber of Deputies is likely to pass on Friday afternoon, will see the 3G CovidCheck at the workplace become optional, rather than mandatory. However, the civil service has opted to maintain the regime for all government employees.
The General Confederation of Civil Servants (CGFP) and the Minister of the Civil Service Marc Hansen have agreed to keep the 3G requirement as it currently stands, meaning employees will have to prove they are vaccinated, recovered, or present a negative test result in order to go to work.
CGFP general secretary Steve Heiliger said the scheme could remain, provided the same guarantees were upheld regarding disciplinary action towards employees - meaning employees cannot be let go, or receive warnings, or be removed from social security.
Prior to the CovidCheck regime’s introduction on 15 January, each government ministry and administration had to make individual decisions on the checks. Heiliger said this caused confusion, as some administrations didn’t implement the regime at all, while others were strict enforcers. Some kept it in place only for certain zones such as the canteen or meeting rooms. This made it crucial to implement a more general stance throughout the civil service going forward, he added.
The agreement between the union and the ministries will last the duration of the new law, ending in two months. Heiliger said he hoped further measures would not be required beyond that point, but that CovidCheck was better than the alternatives, such as mandatory masks during working hours, or social distancing which impacted meetings and training sessions. He said these would have represented a step backwards for the civil service, the majority of whom can meet the CovidCheck requirements.
Public establishments are not covered by the agreement, but Heiliger said he hoped they would continue to abide by 3G rules.
In contrast, there is no general agreement for maintaining CovidCheck at work in municipal councils. Here it is up to the Board of Trustees to check with staff representatives, or directly with staff, whether or not the 3G requirement will be retained in the workplace. The municipal staff union recommends that CovidCheck be maintained.
