Accusations of bullying at the CNA recently surfaced in the press, leading the minister and the centre’s director to address them directly before the Chamber’s culture committee. The Green Party had already submitted a request to speak to them regarding the issue. First Thill explained that the CNA was in the midst of a transformation process, leading to a number of issues at the Dudelange site. But accusations of bullying should not be taken lightly, he added.
“Of the 62 members of staff, two people initiated a formal protection procedure, meaning that two people had reported being victims of harassment or bullying. This took place from December 2023 to now.”
While two people had reported issues to date, other issues could not be ruled out, as their colleagues could feasibly lack the energy or courage to speak out. The Left’s David Wagner spoke of unofficial numbers:
“We were told there are at least ten people who have reported problems. You know how difficult it can be, perhaps they let the issue drop as they don’t want further problems and so on. But if it’s true that ten people signalled issues then that is a real problem. We will discuss the people who have resigned from a position of responsibility since September 2023 at a different committee session soon.”
Four people have left management positions in that timeframe. The minister explained one had retired and another had been transferred to a different administration. In all cases, the staff members left after the transformation process reduced ten management positions to four.
LSAP MP Georges Engel said:
“So 40% of the managers left, that is a lot, I think. Not a good sign for the CNA. It needs to be investigated to see if there are other reasons. But if it is down to dysfunctionality, or poor conditions, then I think we must analyse this very quickly.”
Last March the Minister of Culture ordered a study to determine staff satisfaction, and that snapshot revealed not all areas were happy. Thill said this was down to communication, participation and transparency. The Ministry will now carry out analysis of psychosocial risks and launch a support committee. But it is difficult to say whether this is the solution, said the Greens’ Djuna Bernard.
“I think it’s not a bad idea to have a support committee, to create some distance and support them from outside the organisation. A committee like that could start dialogue with management and the affected staff if anything crops up, and then communicate with the Ministry to make necessary recommendations to improve the situation.”
A further committee meeting will offer MPs additional explanations regarding the satisfaction survey. However, this meeting will take place behind closed doors.
