The index point in the public service will be increased by 1.5% on July 1, announced Monday, June 12 the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the first union in the public sector, reporting an announcement made to trade unions by the Minister public function and transformation, Stanislas Guerini. The government received the eight civil servant unions in Paris during the day to reveal to them the wage measures it is considering in order to cushion the persistent shock of inflation.
Faced with soaring prices (5.1% over one year in May, according to INSEE) and especially food products (14.1%), the unions unanimously demanded a general increase, of varying magnitude depending on the organizations.
The revaluation of the index point will be supplemented by a “purchasing power” bonus, of an amount between 300 and 800 euros and paid before the end of the year. It will benefit agents earning up to 3,250 euros gross per month, and will be received by 50% of state agents and 70% of public hospital agents, specifies the ministry of the public service. A receptionist at the start of his career would thus earn a total of 182 euros per month more, and a school teacher with seven years of seniority 102 euros more.
But according to the CGT press release, the bonus “does not appear to be renewable” which would greatly limit the gain in sustainable purchasing power. The organization, which demanded “a general revaluation of at least 10%” of salaries, denounces a “largely insufficient measure”.
Limited room for maneuver
In addition to the index point and the “purchasing power” bonus, public officials have obtained the renewal for 2023 of the individual purchasing power guarantee (GIPA), an increase in mission expenses, better charge of public transport subscriptions and an increase in the monetization scale for time savings accounts. The GIPA is an allowance for all agents whose gross index salary would have evolved less quickly than the consumer price index over a period of four years.
Territorial civil servants are not direct beneficiaries of the “purchasing power” bonus, but “a salary policy tool for communities” will be created for those “who would like to pay it to their agents”, according to the document. of the ministry.
The communities, which employ two million civil servants, welcome a “justified” increase in view of high inflation, but deplore the limited room for maneuver when the “budgets were voted at the start of the year”, explained to the Agence France-Presse Philippe Laurent, spokesman for the coordination of territorial employers. To increase predictability, he calls for a “perennial” framework for future pay talks.
“6.8% increase in 2023”
Mr. Guerini had first received the unions one by one at the end of May before bringing them together on Monday to finalize his proposals. The cost to public finances of the 3.5% revaluation of the salaries of State agents, communities and hospitals in the summer of 2022 had been calculated at 7.5 billion euros for a full year. According to the ministry, the new measures announced on Monday are in addition to the full-year effect of the revaluation of last year and to categorical measures, in particular in favor of teachers.
All of these measures would represent for the state civil service “an increase of 6.8% in 2023”, at a time when the government is hunting for savings for its 2024 draft budget. , the government is seeking a lasting dialogue with the trade unions, which for a time boycotted official meetings at the ministry to protest against the postponement to 64 of the legal retirement age.
Stanislas Guerini thus hopes to quickly submit to them a draft agreement on the financing by the State of the pension costs of its agents. Housing assistance schemes for civil servants could also be announced in the coming weeks.