CGFP and new government wish to re-establish real social dialogue

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With negotiations on a new agreement on terms and conditions of employment in the public sector getting underway in December 1999, the incoming minister for the public sector and the CGFP trade union confederation are seeking a return to "real social dialogue".

The 33rd conference of the General Public Sector Confederation (Confédération Générale de la Fonction Publique, CGFP) was held on 15 December 1999. CGFP is the representative trade union for the public sector, with some 20,700 members. During the meeting, CGFP leaders said they wanted to turn over a new leaf, and that, after several particularly turbulent years marked by numerous arguments with the former minister responsible for the public sector (LU9808173F), they now look forward to happier times.

Following the recent change of government (LU9909111N), CGFP hopes that the arrival of a new public sector minister, assisted by a secretary of state, should "coincide with a return to real social dialogue in which the parties must act as true partners. In particular, this voluntarist approach should allow a major reform of the state apparatus in the best possible circumstances."

CGFP was also pleased with the way that an initial interview with the two Democratic Party (Demokratesch Partei, DP) members of the government with responsibility for the public sector had gone, and hoped that the other coalition party, the Christian Social People's Party (Chrëschtlich Sozial Vollekspartei, CSV), would be prepared to "let bygones be bygones", and make a "fresh start" in its relations with CGFP.

With regard to its main demands, CGFP stated that the government must ensure a balance between the rights and duties of civil servants.

In her reply to the union's approach, the new Minister said that she personally looked forward to a return to "respect and dialogue", not only as a way of fostering the process of reform of the state, but also of ensuring that civil servants and other public employees can work and develop in a favourable climate. This, she said, was a source of considerable satisfaction to her. "We want a competitive state and motivated staff," the Minister said shortly after negotiations started on a new agreement setting out the terms and conditions of employment to apply in the public sector from 1 January 2000.