In recent weeks, the municipality of Sandweiler has faced criticism from the General Federation of Local Government (FGFC) over allegations of bullying targeting municipal civil servants and the outsized influence of an external consultant. The FGFC claims the consultant has contributed significantly to a toxic work environment among staff.
During a municipal council meeting on Thursday, the opposition parties – the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) and the Green Party (Déi Gréng) – pressed the LSAP-DP-led municipal executive for answers. While the executive provided a response, it was notably brief.
Speaking on behalf of the municipal executive board (Schäfferot), LSAP Mayor Jacqueline Breuer stated that the board is responsible for staff welfare and is committed to ensuring smooth operations and a positive work environment. She added that the executive would do everything necessary to uphold these standards.
Mayor Breuer deemed this response sufficient, despite CSV Councillor Jean Lemmer having submitted a detailed list of questions. The mayor also noted that the executive is still preparing a formal reply to a recent FGFC press release, in which the union accused the board of incompetence and abuse of power.
Green Party Councillor Jean-Paul Roeder had initially sought to address the issue earlier in the meeting, but the majority parties postponed the discussion. When the opposition criticised this move, Mayor Breuer responded with, “Well, that’s how it goes in a democracy”. The remark drew laughter not only from the opposition but also from the approximately ten members of the public attending the meeting.
The opposition criticised the municipal executive board’s refusal to address specific questions, calling it “a shame and ridiculous”.
In an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio after the meeting, Green Party Councillor Jean-Paul Roeder revealed that he had recently spoken with municipal staff about the allegations. While cautious in his remarks, Roeder confirmed that the accusations made by the FGFC had been substantiated in his conversations. He also hinted at new allegations emerging but declined to elaborate further, stating he wanted “to protect the people involved”.
Simone Massard-Stitz, a CSV councillor and former mayor of Sandweiler, also expressed concerns about the role of the external consultant. She cited the consultant’s handling of the accounts for the non-profit organization managing the local drop-in centre until the end of 2024 as an example. According to Massard-Stitz, the consultant claimed the non-profit had incurred a €400,000 deficit. However, she pointed out that the drop-in centre operates under an agreement with the state, making concepts like deficits or surpluses irrelevant.
Massard-Stitz, who served on the non-profit’s board, emphasised that repeated requests for clarification on the €400,000 figure were met with vague responses from the consultant, who simply stated that “it’s evident from the numbers”.
It remains to be seen whether the municipal executive board will provide a more detailed response to the FGFC’s accusations than it did to the opposition’s questions.
