“A good agreement based on constructive discussions conducted in a spirit of partnership.” This is how the minister for the civil service, (CSV), presents the new civil service pay agreement. The agreement covers 37,500 civil servants and government employees. Once approved, the agreement will apply retroactively from 1 January 2025. president of the Confédération Générale de la Fonction Publique (General Confederation of the Civil Service), also considers the agreement to be “reasonable,” and believes that it is important to look at the whole package, not just the pay increases.
The main provision is a 2% increase in the index point with effect from 1 January, followed by a 0.5% increase on 1 January 2026. Positions of particular responsibility and management positions will benefit from a seven-point increment. As a reminder, the current monthly value of an index point adjusted to the cost of living index is €23.2752062. A civil servant’s gross monthly salary is calculated by multiplying the monthly value of one index point by the number of points to which they are entitled under their status.
“Thanks to this 2.5% across-the-board increase, the situation of civil servants will improve,” explained the minister. By way of comparison, employees in the financial sector saw their salaries increase by 2.5% over three years when their sectoral collective agreement was renewed. “2.5% is also the estimated level of GDP growth over the period in question.” For the state, the bill will total €195m, “€86.7m this year and €108.8m next year. This is an expense that our budgetary situation allows us to make.”
€260.7m in various benefits
However, the bill is being increased by the other measures contained in the agreement. These measures are all benefits for civil servants and government employees.
Among the most important of these is access for civil servants to the civil servants’ pension scheme after 12 years of service or from the age of 55. State employees will automatically be granted civil servant status after 10 years of service. In education, the weighting applied to the remuneration of extra lessons has been abolished. These hours will now be paid at full rate. In basic education, a bonus will now be paid to class leaders “in recognition of this additional responsibility,” explains Wilmes. Also in education, examination observers’ fees will be increased. The details of these increases will be set out in forthcoming legislation.
The agreement also provides for the adaptation of the agreements between CGFP services and the state relating to the management of canteens and crèches. The principle of creating a third crèche for civil servants has also been approved and will be located in the Belval district.
Wilmes estimates the cost of these new benefits at €260.7m over two years.
Introduction of a right to unpaid leave
Other provisions with no budgetary impact are also included in the agreement. A right to unpaid leave or allowances without pay will be introduced. At the end of this leave, the normal rules for reinstatement will apply.
The conciliation and mediation procedure prior to any strike in the civil service and public establishments under state control will be made applicable to state employees who do not have the right to strike. In other words, the police and the army. However, there is no question of granting them the right to strike. “The idea is to give them access to a negotiation route that they have not had until now,” explains Wolff.
Finally, working groups will be set up to look at a number of different issues: improving the mechanism for changing salary or allowance groups; promotion and career reviews; harmonising the differences between the different salary or allowance groups, and introducing a framework law for public establishments.
The government has undertaken to submit to parliament a bill validating the two points relating to the upgrading of the index point and the granting of additional points for positions of responsibility before 1 March. The other measures will be the subject of separate bills to be tabled in parliament before the end of the year.
This article was originally published in .