Several hundred public officials marched through the streets of Namur this Wednesday morning. Beyond the elimination of the status, the unions estimate that the budget cuts will lead to the loss of 1,500 public jobs.
Walloon public services demonstrated this Wednesday in Namur, under the leadership of a common union front (CGSP, CSC and SLFP). They denounce the budget cuts planned by the Walloon government and believe that they are not being heard.
The common front deplores “a kind but in no way constructive listening. The government does not change a single comma in its plans and intentions“.
Three subjects are at the center of concerns: the status of civil servants, the Walloon budget and APE (public employment aid). “The Walloon government is considering the pure and simple abolition of the status. The first measures have already been implemented, namely the freezing of appointments, the non-replacement of departures, the removal of a mechanism for appointing contract workers and the use of statutory reserves to hire contract workers.“, explained the unions.
According to them, the abolition of the statute, put in place in 1937 to guarantee the independence of the Administration with regard to politics, is a direct attack on democracy. It will also entail costs borne by Walloon budgets and local authorities.
“An impact on the quality of services to citizens“
The unions also regret several budget cuts announced for 2025. They will concern the UAP (Forem, IFAPME), the OTW (the TEC), the municipal fund, the APE, the SPW and the intermunicipal waste companies.
“They will far exceed 100 million euros. This will inevitably have an impact on the quality of services to citizens.“, they further clarified. They estimate that 1,500 public jobs are set to disappear in the short and medium term and that this does not only concern administrative civil servants.
“Nursing staff, childcare staff, bus drivers and workers will also be impacted. A shame for a coalition which campaigned on ‘everything for employment’. Would the Walloon government become the main player in unemployment in Wallonia?“, they concluded
