Public Service Minister Guillaume Kasbarian announced Thursday that he would receive the unions on November 7 at the ministry, to discuss the social agenda.
“I will receive them on Thursday, November 7 at 2:30 p.m. at the ministry to discuss the social agenda that I proposed to them and to move forward (…) on many subjects that we have to improve the daily lives of civil servants”declared the minister on Sud Radio.
A meeting was initially scheduled for November 12, but the eight unions representing the civil service asked on Tuesday to be received more quickly, after the announcement of measures aimed at reducing the absenteeism of civil servants, and to “relaunch a real social dialogue”.
The minister wants to reduce compensation for sick leave for civil servants to 90% of salary, and introduce three waiting days in the event of sick leave – excluding serious pathologies – to align the conditions of compensation for the public with the private sector.
However, private sector employees benefit in many cases from collective agreements covering these three days. Mr. Kasbarian suggested “to improve complementary social protection” public officials.
The social agenda also includes merit-based pay, dismissals for serious misconduct, the possible elimination of categories A, B, C: “I will discuss with the unions on all the sites and we will then decide on the right decisions” to take, assured the minister.
While Prime Minister Michel Barnier wanted to reduce the number of state agencies and committees, to save money, Mr. Kasbarian seems determined to eliminate “several dozen” of these committees “in the coming months” via the simplification law currently under discussion in Parliament.
“When it doesn’t produce anything, when they don’t meet, when they sometimes even slow down public decision-making and we realize that other committees are doing the same thing, or even better, we shouldn’t ask ourselves any questions , it must be deleted »he said.
Mr. Kasbarian, in support of his projects on absenteeism, finally mentioned an Elabe survey for BFMTV published on Wednesday, which indicates that 67% of French people are in favor of extending the waiting period for civil servants, and 60% the reduction of compensation to 90% of salary during the first three months of illness, while 71% are in favor of facilitating the dismissal of a civil servant in the event of serious misconduct.