Here it is again. Stanislas Guerini, Minister of the Civil Service in the governments of Élisabeth Borne, "will have to carry" the reform of the civil service announced several months ago, even if he has not yet been reappointed to his post, Emmanuel Macron assured on Monday evening. Gabriel Attal's new government will have to "carry out a historic reform of the civil service, prepared by Stan," the president said during a reception at the Élysée Palace for parliamentarians from the majority, according to a source present at the event.
Read alsoPanic buttons, cameras... The government's plan to protect public officials from violence
"And I don't want to make a scoop but he will have to carry it," added the head of state, with whom Guerini has been close since his first presidential campaign in 2016-2017. This is an apparent sign of confidence, as Mr Guerini is one of the major absentees from the first list of full-time ministers unveiled by the presidency on Thursday.
What role for Guerini?
Secretaries of State and deputy ministers are still to be appointed in the coming days, but Guerini has "ruled out" the possibility of returning to the civil service if he does not retain his full-fledged ministry, according to his entourage. Unlike full-time ministers, state secretaries and deputy ministers do not participate in all councils of ministers and are generally less autonomous.
In this context, the statement of the President of the Republic can also be seen as a pressure tactic for Mr. Guerini to remain in his post regardless of his title (Minister Delegate or Secretary of State). The source who took part in Monday's evening at the Élysée Palace sees the president's statements as "a sign of personal confidence" in Guerini, in addition to "very strong" support for his reform, which should facilitate access to the civil service and career development in the public sector.
The decision on whether or not to reappoint him in office is in any case "a matter of discussions with the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister," the source said.
Trade unions stand up against the reform
Initially announced for February, the reform of the civil service plans to facilitate the tenure of work-study students at the end of their apprenticeship, to make the promotion system more flexible and to expand the possibilities of merit-based pay, both individual and collective.
"We need to be able to enter the civil service more easily, move more easily in the civil service and sometimes be able to leave the public service more quickly," Guerini said at a hearing at the National Assembly in early November. But even before it was presented, the reform was decried by the unions.
Read also"Boosting work on all fronts": the government launches a campaign to promote the attractiveness of public sector jobs
In a statement published on Tuesday, the FGF-FO (the 2nd largest public union) called for "the abandonment of the civil service bill, programmed in particular to break the general status of civil servants". "Whoever the minister is, whatever his or her perimeter, Solidaires fonction publique will oppose the so-called merit-based remuneration in the public service," added the 6th civil servants' union on the social network X.