Agreement on civil service pay?

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In December 1998, the Luxembourg government and the CGFP trade union, in a meeting with the conciliator, reached a form of agreement in a dispute over back pay in the civil service, through the introduction of an extra day's leave. Other issues under dispute still require clarification.

The Luxembourg government has recently been engaged in a conciliation procedure with the General Public Sector Confederation (Confédération Générale de la Fonction Publique, CGFP). The aim is to establish whether there is scope for an upward review of civil servants' pay, given developments in 1995 and 1996 (LU9811176N). Civil servants' pay for the period 1995-9 is already governed by legislation. However, at the time the relevant law was adopted it was agreed that, from 1 January 1997 onwards, the government would launch discussions as to whether there were grounds for an upward review of pay on the basis of changes in economic, social and budgetary parameters during 1995 and 1996. In the final negotiations before conciliation began, CGFP called for a 2% pay rise and two extra days' annual leave starting from 1 January 1999.

The Prime Minister announced at a press conference the conclusion of an agreement between the parties before the conciliator on 18 December 1998, introducing an additional day's annual leave for civil servants from 1 January 1999. The CGFP did not challenge the substance of this reported agreement, but nonetheless stressed that "the dispute is not over, and the parties will meet again before the conciliator in February 1999 unless the government effectively transposes measures under an old pay agreement covering 1990-2".

The Prime Minister has stated that the next pay talks between the unions and the government will not take place until 2001.