After 48 meetings, government & CGFP sign agreements

(ADW) "It's been 50 years since a reform of this magnitude had been made," said Octavia Modert on Friday during the presentation of two agreements between the government and the General Confederation of Public Service (CGFP). One agreement relates to worker status, the other to wages. François Biltgen said that "it is not reform against civil servants, but reform for public services."

A marathon day

Friday resembled a marathon for all those that participated in the drafting of the agreements. The CGFP and government were finally able to settle their differences. François Biltgen, Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform, presented the agreements to the governing council. After it received the green light, the CGFP consulted with authorities who also gave their consent. Octavia Modert, Minister for Public Service, then presented the reforms to the parliamentary committee, while Biltgen presented the contents of the 2 agreements to other unions.

The first agreement relates to the reform of the public service. According to Biltgen, "it is not a reform against the civil servants, but to reform the public service. The goal is to provide quality services to citizens. "

The agreement is divided into six main points:Career structure

"Up until now, we took into account level s of training, then seniority. This system will be made complete looking at experience, lifelong learning and a sense of responsibility, which will be valued as an advantage, "said François Biltgen.

Training period (stage)

This will last three years, instead of the current two, but can always be shortened by one year. During the first two years, trainees will receive 80% of their expected salary early in their careers and 90% in the third year. "We must never fall below the minimum qualification wage" said Octavia Modert. Supervision of trainees will in turn be strengthened and the role of a tutor will become very important.

Management by objectives

Each service is expected to set its goals, and a kind of “organogram ability chart” published with job descriptions, updated every three years. These will be determined by the head of administration and endorsed by the Minister.

A system of skill assessment

This topic has been one of the major sticking points between the two parties. Friday’s agreement states that evaluation assessment will only take place at key moments in the career of an official, i.e. at the moment of seeking promotion to the next level. The assessment will be based on criteria of quality, personal goals, attendance and relational value. Every year, officials will be interviewed, with a focus on their progress during the last three years. The evaluation will be rewarded with an advance of six months, or penalised by a promotion delay, also by six months. The aim of this procedure is to motivate employees. According to Romain Wolff, General Secretary of CGFP, this system will not be applied more than two or three times during a career.

The possibility of being fired

Civil servants will not only be penalised when they make serious mistakes, but also if they are not doing "good work". "If an employee is not efficient, the reasons will be questioned first. If not well trained, they will be given one year to improve” said François Biltgen. If this additional training is does not bear fruit, the employee may be reclassified or even sacked.

The mediator

This position will be created and used to improve dialogue within employment relationships. If an employee determines that their skills assessment is unfair, they may consult a joint committee (government and unions) to be chaired by the mediator.

30,000 civil servants involved

This major reform agreement also comprises other issues such as the introduction of language leave, and the possibility of a gradual retirement from work with partial pension.

To negotiate all the elements involved the agreements, it took no less than 18 meetings between the government and CGFP, and nearly 30 other meetings with various associations, affecting 24,000 CGFP members. Add to that other public sector workers including CFL employees, the figure rises to 30,000 people overall.