Minister for Home Affairs seeks external mediation

Earlier this year, employees at the Contern town hall accused municipal officials of bullying, leading to a dispute within the local administration.

In response to the allegations, Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden has called for external mediation to resolve the conflict between two municipal employees and the municipal executive board ("Schäfferot").

The decision was made during a meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs, which involved representatives from the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL), as well as the Contern municipal executive board, including Mayor Marion Zovilé-Braquet and board members Stéphanie Ansay and Jim Schmitz.

Minister Gloden clarified that he cannot personally mediate the case in response to a parliamentary question from Green Party MPs Meris Šehović and Djuna Bernard.

Due to a toxic work environment and strained relations between staff and municipal officials, the municipal executive board had commissioned a consultancy firm to investigate the allegations. The firm's findings concluded that the claims of bullying were unfounded. A law firm, reviewing the same report, reached a similar conclusion.

However, the OGBL has expressed doubts about these findings and is calling for an independent commission of inquiry. The Democratic Party (DP) in Contern, which is in the opposition, has also backed this call.