RTL reported in March that there was widespread dissatisfaction among staff at Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, particularly over the way the municipal secretary allegedly treated colleagues. His resignation was on the agenda of Monday's council meeting, but his departure does not mean that the underlying problems have been resolved.
Although the resignation has not been officially confirmed, as such personnel decisions are taken behind closed doors, the immediate appointment of an acting municipal secretary would appear to confirm it. Tageblatt first reported the appointment, which is also consistent with RTL's information that the secretary submitted his resignation on 1 July.
Several months ago, municipal employees contacted the General Confederation of Municipal Civil Servants (FGFC) to draw attention to internal problems. Union president Claude Reuter said such issues were not uncommon and that the FGFC was well placed to help address them.
Difficulties between colleagues could arise in any workplace, he said, but they became more serious when workflows, responsibilities, and organisational structures were unclear.
Many municipalities lacked proper organisational charts and job descriptions, he added, and the FGFC had offered to help establish these "free of charge and in line with the principles governing the municipal civil service".
The proposal was initially received positively, according to Reuter, but the municipality soon decided to work with a private company instead. The FGFC nevertheless remains willing to help, although Reuter said concrete action was now needed without delay.
The union expects local politicians to agree on a clear timetable before the summer break, he said, so that the administration and its staff can be put "back on the right track by the end of the year" and employees can once again focus on serving residents.
Mayor Claude Gleis declined to give an interview but said the municipality had chosen to work with a private company. He added that discussions with the FGFC could take place at a later stage, probably towards the end of the year. According to Gleis, progress had already been made and parts of the administration had been reorganised.
The same private company has already conducted an audit for which the municipal council approved a €100,000 budget in a public meeting. Gleis opposes discussing its findings in public, arguing that it concerns individuals and that no one would benefit from debating the matter publicly.
Opposition councillor Laurent Lacour rejected that argument and called for at least the broader findings of the audit to be presented.
Personal information must be protected and any published version should be anonymised, he acknowledged. However, "the general conclusions cannot simply be kept from the public", he said, particularly as the review was funded by taxpayers. Pretending that the audit had never taken place was not an acceptable option, he added.
Lacour said that, should the audit find the mayor bore some political responsibility for the situation, an apology would be appropriate to employees who had reportedly endured problems for more than a decade.
The FGFC also believes that a summary of the audit should be presented, regardless of its findings.
Reuter said political leaders had to acknowledge criticism honestly, even when the conclusions were unfavourable. No one always performed perfectly, he noted, but leaders needed "the backbone to ask what went wrong and what could be improved".
The acting municipal secretary is a retired official who previously held the position in Erpeldange-sur-Sûre. The municipality considered him the best short-term option but hopes to find a permanent replacement as soon as possible.
