In a unanimous decision reached on Monday, the General Confederation of the Civil Service (CGFP) has opted to take legal action and stage protests against the government for failing to uphold the terms of the salary agreement, particularly concerning the reformed army law.
The central point of contention for the CGFP is that the army’s evaluation system is not to be abolished despite this having been agreed upon with the previous administration. Aside from trial periods, the government had committed to abolishing evaluation in civil service altogether.
While the CGFP did not succeed during conciliation and mediation efforts, Civil Service Minister Serge Wilmes acknowledges that the confederation is at liberty to challenge the matter in court.
According to the CGFP, the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) is fuelling political apathy ahead of the European elections. The confederation laments that while still an opposition party back in summer 2023, the CSV insisted that the former coalition government adhere to the salary agreement.
“They even introduced a motion and a separate vote, as they must have been aware that there was a breach of contract”, underlines CGFP president Romain Wolff. “Now that they are in charge they suddenly disappear.”
In response, Minister Wilmes stressed that “the government remains committed to the salary agreement negotiated with the CGFP”. The general evaluation system, which was introduced in 2015, is to be abolished, says the CSV politician, announcing that a respective preliminary draft will soon be presented to the government council.
Nevertheless, the army’s evaluation system will stay in place. Wilmes noted that it has existed since the 1950s, even if it was redefined in 2019. For the Minister, upholding the system is a matter of security.
“The government was not willing to find a joint solution”, Wolff further criticises, arguing that lawmakers are gambling with social peace. The CGFP, meanwhile, argues that it is reasonable and willing to compromise.
According to the Civil Service Minister, however, the CGFP proposed a compromise during one of the meetings that he deemed unacceptable. He explained that they wanted to maintain the army evaluation system while rebranding it as something else. “I think you should tell it like it is”, argued Wilmes.
The first protest that the CGFP intends to stage will be on 29 April.
