Access to the “carrière ouverte”: Teaching staff at a disadvantage in the civil service It is very gratifying when society emphasizes the importance of the teaching profession, with all its daily demands and efforts. For example, (Education) Minister Claude Meisch emphasizes on social media: “Teaching is more than a job. It is a profession in which you face new challenges every day. It is a profession of commitment and heart. A profession that has shaped our generation and will inspire future generations.” A profession, according to Minister Meisch, in which one faces new challenges every day, where a new challenge is also to achieve equal rights and to be treated equally as in other public administrations. This is where Education Minister Claude Meisch and Civil Service Minister Marc Hansen disagree. The two ministries work independently of each other and are separate in their areas of activity, but there is one link: the staff. The staff is under the authority of the Ministry of Civil Service, as stated in the Civil Service Act. In the same law (A59 of March 31, 2015), there is a provision that everyone in the civil service has the opportunity to receive training (including staff in the education sector). The law was amended to this effect in 2016). This training allows for internal mobility, the so-called “carrière ouverte”, which was extended for another 5 years in the last civil service collective agreement. It consists of various courses, followed by a knowledge test and the writing of a final paper (mémoire). This is not a problem in the civil service, where the courses can be completed during regular working hours. Candidates can also keep the same job after successfully completing the courses and the written thesis, and receive a better salary as a result of the training. The situation is somewhat different in the education sector. Training courses may not be completed during working hours (school time). Missed “school time” must be made up. In addition, according to officials of the Ministry of Education, this training is not part of the education system and is also unnecessary, since the Ministry of Education does not advertise other positions. According to the Ministry of Education, the completed basic education would be taken into account. According to the law, this is not an adequate justification, as the basic requirement for filling such a position is 10 years of permanent employment in the civil service. We wonder why double standards are being applied here? Which ministry is right? Are not the ministry’s guidelines for the civil service authoritative? Are we not all equal before the Constitution? We insist on being treated equally! However, we cannot hope that Minister Claude Meisch will be open to dialogue, as he prefers to continue with his PR and election campaign. # No bei dir Communicated by Amelux and SEW/OGBL, May 24th, 2023
The Meisch era – a monologue on education policy In this super election year, Minister Meisch tries to present himself as a people-oriented and open-minded social partner with the hashtag #BildungamDialog (education through dialogue). Just a few days ago, the Minister tweeted as cheerfully as he seemed to be detached from reality: “OBLIGATION SCOLAIRE – Nom Dialog mat alle Partner huet d’Regierung leschte Freiden Amendementer ugeholl” (compulsory education – after dialogue with all partners the government has decided to amend the law). Has the minister lost touch with reality? Who is he talking about when he says “all partners”? What “dialogue”? Neither the OGJ – Luxembourg’s largest youth organisation in terms of numbers – nor the SEW/OGBL have had any dialogue with the minister on the extension of compulsory education. Exactly one year ago, on 19 May 2022, a meeting of a purely informative nature took place on the subject of compulsory education, in the absence of the Minister, between senior officials of the Ministry and the SEW/OGBL and the OGJ. Since then, not the slightest trace of dialogue on the subject. Instead, the Ministry refused to talk and refused to consult. This refusal of dialogue on the part of the Minister is the central theme of his mandate. This school year only, requests for a meeting from SEW/OGBL and the Landesverband have remained unanswered: 23 December 2022 – SEW/OGBL, ACEN, Landesverband: joint letter concerning “age discharges” for supply-teachers; 6 February 2023 – new request for a meeting on the subject of “age discharges” 7 February 2023 – request for a meeting to discuss the subject of fixed-term contracts for supply-teachers; 28 February 2023 – open letter on International Women’s Day, request for meeting; 4 April 2023 – letter to the Vocational Training Committee/MENJE. It seems that the Minister prefers to concentrate on his public relations campaigns rather than seriously tackle the problems of education. However, the role of Minister of Education also involves confronting critical voices, because when it comes to education policy, it’s not just a question of garnering votes for the next election. Press release from the Education and Science Syndicate (SEW) of the OGBL, OGJ, Comité Chargés de Cours – FNCTTFEL/Landesverband and Amelux, 23 May 2023
Wage increases for all staff in a context of inflationary crisis On April 25, 2023, the OGBL signed with the management of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) the renewal of the collective agreement on labor covering the establishment’s 460 or so employees. The collective agreement on labor is subordinate to the framework agreement for the public research sector. The new agreement covers a three-year period, from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. It brings clear improvements for LIH staff, including financial increases, such as : a 0.75% increase in all salaries with the salary for the month following the signing of the agreement, followed by a 1.25% increase in January 2024 (except for post-docs, who will benefit from a specific increase); an increase in January 2024 of 10% for PostDoc I and 6% for PostDoc II; an increase of up to 5% in the maxima for certain salary levels on the function map, with proportionately higher increases for the lowest salary levels; an increase in the face value of meal vouchers from 8.80 euros to 10.80 euros; an increase in the minimum gross annual bonus for exceptional performance, from 750 euros to 1000 euros; clarifications and updates to the telework charter, which forms an integral part of the collective agreement on labor, and which will be adapted by the joint committee in line with changes in bilateral tax agreements and European social security regulations; financial compensation and/or additional days off for staff who have reached or exceeded the maximums of their salary scale: a 0.75% increase every 4 years, and the possibility of receiving either additional days off or a bonus paid according to the results of the annual individual performance evaluation; an increase in the training budget of 50,000 euros per year over the next 3 years; clarification of the text and involvement of the staff delegation in the process of cross-functional review of individual performance evaluations – the aim being to ensure transparency of the evaluation system; the maintenance and continuation of working groups on the analysis of the potential introduction of a supplementary pension, the time-saving account and the reworking of the performance evaluation system. All other benefits under the old agreement, including the automatic (biennial) salary increase, remain unchanged. The OGBL appreciates the good social dialogue that took place throughout the negotiations, and welcomes this agreement, which brings real progress to support LIH staff in a context of a severe purchasing power crisis. Press release by the OGBL’s Education and Science Syndicate (SEW), April 27, 2023
Against a further deterioration in working conditions for educational and psycho-social staff The OGBL’s Education and Science Syndicate (SEW/OGBL) and the Association du Personnel des Centres de Compétence et de l’Agence : éducatif et psycho-social (APCCA) have recently sent comments on draft laws no. 8163 and no. 8169 to the Minister of National Education Claude Meisch and the members of the relevant parliamentary committee. Draft law no. 8163 transposes the agreement between the MENJE and three CGFP member associations concluded in November 2021 regulating the task of educational and psycho-social staff (EPS), while draft law no. 8169 is akin to an omnibus law, making changes to the supervision of special needs pupils, whether at the level of basic education, secondary education or at the level of Centers of Competence. It should be remembered that APCCA and SEW/OGBL were only informed of the November 2021 agreement through the press, even though they had been involved in all discussions in this context up to October 1, 2021, and had also defended a joint catalog of demands with CGFP. As the Ministry’s agreement with the CGFP was unsatisfactory, and faced with the Minister’s refusal to continue negotiations, APCCA and SEW/OGBL then appealed to the Public Service Conciliation Board. On June 28, 2022, well after the legal deadline of six weeks had elapsed and without any meeting having taken place, the president of the conciliation board nevertheless informed APCCA and SEW/OGBL that the dispute was inadmissible. APCCA and SEW/OGBL contested this decision and lodged an annulment appeal with the Administrative Court. A decision in this case is still pending. It is rather bizarre, to say the least, that the government should nevertheless table a bill dealing with the central issue of the dispute – the organization of the work of EPS personnel – even before the Administrative Court has ruled on the validity of the dispute! Organization of the work of EPS personnel In their opinion on draft law no. 8163, APCCA and SEW/OGBL point out that the definition of tasks adopted is far from the realities on the ground. The quotas defined are ridiculously low, for example in terms of availability for parents or for consultation hours, compared with the time actually required. This will maintain a situation that amounts to unpaid overtime. For APCCA and SEW/OGBL, at least half an hour of preparation time per lesson should be set aside for EPS staff to ensure high-quality teaching for children and teenagers with special needs. It should be remembered that in public secondary education, one hour of teaching time is equivalent to two hours of work. For diagnostic and advisory units, the draft law provides for a significant reduction in flexibility when it comes to taking leave, which constitutes a deterioration in working conditions and an attack on the acquired rights of the staff concerned. Creation of additional supervisory structures SEW/OGBL and APCCA do not wish to comment on all aspects of draft law no. 8169, but would like to criticize the draft’s general tendency to set up new superstructures to oversee existing structures. In their view, these structures do nothing to improve the quality of inclusive education work. On the contrary, the need to document and evaluate everything increases the amount of time teachers and educational and psychosocial staff have to devote to administrative tasks. Ultimately, this means less time available for taking care of the children. A-EBS Both draft laws provide for the introduction of a new function, namely the assistant for pupils with special educational needs (A-EBS). These assistants could be hired with a DAP or equivalent. In their opinions, APCCA and SEW/OGBL are opposed to opening up the care of special needs pupils to less qualified staff. Children and teenagers with special needs need the best possible quality of care. Once again, this means selling off childcare for purely budgetary reasons, instead of tackling the reasons for the current staff shortage. Press release by APCCA and SEW/OGBL, April 20, 2023
Together for the revaluation of the craftmanship After having collaborated for several months on the subject of the revalorization of the craftmanship and initial vocational training, the Association des Maîtres d’Enseignement du Luxembourg (AMELUX a.s.b.l.) and the OGBL now formalize and deepen their cooperation. A collaboration agreement has just been signed between the two organizations, which foresees the integration of AMELUX in the structures of the OGBL, more precisely in its Education and Science Syndicate (SEW/OGBL). AMELUX will thus become part of the SEW/OGBL structures and will participate in the syndicate’s activities and collaborate closely with the Secondary Department of the syndicate in all matters relating to initial vocational training. At the same time, the OGBL commits itself to support AMELUX in its efforts to promote the craftmanship and the professional interests of “maîtres d’enseignement” in public education, starting with the support of its demand that the master’s qualification be raised to level 6 of the Luxembourg Qualifications Framework (CLQ). Communicated by AMELUX and OGBL, March 30, 2023
We must not sell out our children’s education Tackling the shortage of teaching staff in Luxembourg. This is the aim of a new bachelor’s degree in teacher training proposed by the University of Luxembourg and presented at the beginning of March 2023 by Claude Meisch, Minister of National Education, Children and Youth. The new offer looks tempting: a bachelor’s degree in a field related to education, plus an additional year of study to access the teaching profession in cycles 2, 3 and 4 of elementary school. This new bachelor’s degree will then replace the “Quereinsteiger” program currently in place to address the same shortage. In fact, 5 years ago, according to the Ministry of Education, this program was created to “respond to the shortage of educational science graduates”. However, 5 years later, despite this opening, nothing has changed. Instead of addressing the root causes of the teacher shortage, Minister Meisch introduced a “Quereinsteiger bis”. With this new bachelor’s degree in teacher education, there will be two ways to become a primary school teacher: – A Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Luxembourg, including 30 weeks of practical experience working closely with students in all cycles of the école fondamentale. – A bachelor’s degree in a field related to education, followed by a one-year course called Bachelor en formation pédagogique, with only 6 weeks of internship in two cycles. Just by comparing the figures, it’s easy to see that this new route is likely to produce teachers less well prepared for the realities of the field, less well trained to face the many challenges of educating future generations. Teachers who, once confronted with the realities of the field, risk leaving the classroom to put their first bachelor’s degree to good use. This new training also represents a rejection and devaluation of the classical route, which nevertheless produces teachers well equipped to meet the challenges of a multilingual and multicultural school environment. So instead of putting a sticking plaster on a wooden leg and devaluing the established training, Minister Meisch would do better to take concrete measures to combat the shortage of teachers in Luxembourg. Why are young people no longer interested in teaching? Why are current teachers leaving the profession or only working part-time? These are questions that should have been asked 5 years ago and are still relevant today. The SEW/OGBL continues to draw attention to the deteriorating working conditions of primary school teachers, between the increasing administrative burden, the perceived lack of support from regional management and the challenge of classroom heterogeneity that teachers have to face without additional resources. It’s high time to respond to the teacher shortage, but with respect for current teachers and Bachelor of Education students! Press release of the Education and Science Syndicate (SEW) of the OGBL, March 20, 2023