Small municipalities criticise increase in political leave

Since 1 August, members of municipal councils - ordinary councillors, aldermen, and mayors - have been granted additional political leave.

This decision, which reflects a long-standing demand from the municipal syndicate Syvicol, has been generally welcomed. However, smaller municipalities have voiced their concerns, feeling that the change doesn't go far enough.

Under the new policy, mayors of municipalities with 6,000 or more inhabitants now receive 40 hours of political leave. Previously, only mayors from municipalities with 10,000 or more residents were eligible for this amount. Those from municipalities with populations between 6,000 and 9,999 have received an additional 12 hours.

Political leave (and the number of hours per week) enables employees working in the private or public sector, self-employed persons, or persons not registered with the social security services who hold the position of mayor, alderman or communal councillor, to exercise their mandate or office alongside their professional careers.

Emile Eicher, who is the first alderman in Clervaux, a municipality with just over 6,000 inhabitants, believes the increase is justified given the unique challenges faced by such communities.

“If you look at merger municipalities like ours, there are entirely different challenges, even in just bringing them together. With 6,000 inhabitants, you face numerous issues where you have to organise differently than in smaller communities. The work involved in structuring things is extremely time-consuming,” Eicher explained.

However, Eicher also wished that mayors of smaller municipalities had received more political leave. In municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, mayors and council members receive just two additional hours of leave.

Gérard Zoller, the mayor of Saeul - the only municipality in the country with fewer than 1,000 residents, now has 11 hours of political leave, up from 9. But this modest increase hasn’t sparked much enthusiasm.

“As a private employer, I know we already have a lot of leave to manage in private companies, and now we’re adding more hours. I worry this will discourage people from the private sector from getting involved in politics, which would be a shame,” Zoller said.

Zoller believes that municipal councils should focus on setting broad political strategies, leaving the details to municipal staff. He cited the example of deciding the colour of toilet doors in the Maison Relais, a task he feels is better suited to staff.

Romain Schroeder, mayor of Winseler - a municipality slightly larger than Saeul - sees the situation differently. He argues that mayors of small municipalities are at a disadvantage compared to those from larger ones.

“In small municipalities, we don’t have as many officials, so the mayor needs to be more present. Unlike in large municipalities, where a secretary might have three deputies, here it’s often just one secretary. If that person isn’t available, the responsibility falls to the mayor,” Schroeder explained.

Schroeder advocates for mayors of municipalities with 1,000 to 2,999 inhabitants to receive at least 20 hours of political leave. While he acknowledges the recent increase from 13 to 15 hours, he believes it’s still insufficient.