CGFP union rejects austerity, opening civil service to foreigners

About 500 members of the Confédération Générale de la Fonction Publique (CGFP) gathered in Dommeldange on Monday evening to support the demands of the union's leadership.

The leadership of the civil service union, led by President Romain Wolff and Secretary-General Steve Heiliger, wants to abolish parts of the civil service reform they negotiated with the previous government and that has been implemented by the current government.

The reform has created new inequalities, according to Wolff, who cited in particular the 80/80/90 regulation.

The CGFP has argued that the 80/80/90 rule — which means new civil servants would earn 80% of the original salary during their first two years and 90% in the third year — was based on the previous government's austerity measures but that, with the public finances being in good state again, it should no longer be implemented.

No opening for non-Luxembourgers

Another topic raised was the opening up of the civil service for non-Luxembourgers by Interior Minister Dan Kersch, a proposal the CGFP is very critical of, as Heiliger and Wolff emphasised on Monday.

Heiliger spoke of "territories" in the public service, which should be reserved for Luxembourgers.

The CGFP addressed its demands to political parties so they could take a position in the run-up to the legislative elections and clarify how they intended to deal with them.

Wolff made one thing clear: "If our demands are not met, more union actions will follow that go beyond what is happening here today."

(By Maxime Gillen, translation and additional reporting by Barbara Tasch)