seven questions about the announced thaw of the index point of civil servants

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The government assures us, through its Minister for the Public Service, Amélie de Montchalin, “it’s not not an electoral measure“. Less than a month before the first round of the presidential election and a few days before an interprofessional mobilization, his cabinet announced on Monday March 14 that the index point used to calculate the treatment of millions of public officials would be revalued by summer. Inflation has never been “as strong since 1991”justified the minister. “Our responsibility is to ensure that we do not let the purchasing power of public officials slip away, in particular compared to private sector employees.” Franceinfo returns, in questions, on this announcement.

1What is the civil servant index point?

The index point is the common denominator of the remuneration of the 5.7 million public servants, divided into the three public functions (State, hospital and territorial). Since February 1, 2017, its value has amounted to exactly 4.68602 euros.

The method of calculating gross salaries is common to civil servants and contract workers, explains the civil service website. You have to multiply “the value of the index point by the increased index specific to each civil servant”. This is defined according to “his step, his grade, his employment framework and his seniority”.

>> Purchasing power: how much do civil servants really earn?

“The index point system ensures rationalization and comparability of the remuneration of public officials”defends Prune Helfter-Noah, spokesperson for the collective of public officials Our public services, to AFP. Gold, “when we freeze the index point and inflation starts to rise again” as in recent months, “this results in a loss of purchasing power”she explains.

2Since when is this index point frozen?

The index point has been frozen since the election of Emmanuel Macron. The Minister of Transformation and the Public Service had also ruled out in December any thaw by the end of the five-year term. According to data from the Ministry of Civil Service, the last two slight increases (0.6%) of the index point had taken place under the presidency of François Hollande. The most recent occurred on February 1, 2017, a few weeks before the previous presidential election.

Previously, thaws were frequent and always served to increase the calculation base, never to devalue it. Under the Chirac presidency, the value of the index point thus increased 19 times between 1995 and 2007, for a total increase of 10.69%. The first part of Nicolas Sarkozy’s mandate was also marked by five successive, much more discreet increases. The value of the point increased by 1.61% between 2007 and 2010, before being frozen.

3What has the government announced?

Amélie de Montchalin’s cabinet said the index point would be unfrozen “before summer”, for the first time since February 2017. This change will necessarily take place after the presidential election; it is therefore conditional on the re-election of Emmanuel Macron, candidate for a second term.

According to the government, this decision is motivated by high inflation. A first estimate from INSEE reports that the consumer price index jumped 3.6% in February year on year, fueled by soaring energy prices aggravated by the war in Ukraine. Ihe Banque de France, for its part, anticipated an increase of 3.7% to 4.4% in the harmonized consumer price index in 2022.

For “protect the purchasing power of civil servants” and contract workers, the government has also chosen to act on the mileage allowance received by agents who use their personal vehicle as part of their duties. “We are going to increase it, as for private sector employees, by at least 10%”said the Minister to Parisian (article reserved for subscribers)and “This measure will be effective in the coming days.”

4How much will the salaries of civil servants increase?

For the moment, the increase in the point has not been specified. Negotiations will begin in the coming days, the ministry said, with “all actors, all funders and all employers”. It is therefore impossible to know the extent of the increase in the salaries of civil servants and contract workers. In parallel, “the system of remuneration of public officials as a whole will have to be reviewed”, announced Amelie de Montchalin.

A first evaluation of the cost of this measure was nevertheless mentioned by the Minister of the Public Service. Raising the index point by 1%, for example, would cost “two billion euros”she told the Parisian. This increase “will be included in an amending finance law, which will have to be voted on in Parliament this summer.” For their part, the unions estimate that a 3% increase would cost the State 5 to 6 billion euros.

5Why is this announcement a surprise?

Amélie de Montchalin’s announcement contrasts sharply with the measures previously announced during Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term. The unfreezing of the point, demanded for a long time by the unions, was not topical. If she considered “legitimate” the salary expectations of public officials, the minister often described a remuneration system “breathless”.

Until now, it assumed to prefer targeted increases, intended in particular for health professionals or category C public officials (executive functions requiring a BEP/CAP or accessible without a diploma), the least well paid. “With the index point, we increase everyone or no one. We have chosen to concentrate our resources on the least well paid”she still defended during a trip to Haute-Vienne in January.

Less than a month before the first round of the presidential election, the ministry assured AFP that these measures had been decided “on the basis of economic determinants”. “This is not a political decision, but a shock absorber to protect the purchasing power of civil servants” and contractors, he argued.

6How did the unions react?

The revaluation of the index point is the first demand of the five public service unions which call to join the interprofessional mobilization of March 17 for wages and employment. The CGT, FO, the FSU or Solidaires had also slammed the door of the conference on salary prospects at the end of 2021. Monday evening March 14, a satisfaction tempered with caution reigned. The unions remain vigilant as to the concrete translation of this measure on the payroll of the agents, in particular in the event of political alternation. The UFSE-CGT expects for example “a substantial upgrade”according to a tweet posted on Monday.

“Negotiations on the remuneration of public officials are more than ever to be included in the calendar for the coming months, whatever the next government”insisted on Twitter Mylène Jacquot, secretary general of the CFDT Public functions, who had not called for mobilization on Thursday. The announcement comes “in a timing that leaves no one fooled”reacted on the same social network Gaëlle Martinez (Public Service Solidarity), before adding: “The urgency is such that the percentage of upgrading will have to be very high to make up for the delay.”

Secretary General of Unsa-FP, Luc Farre meanwhile greeted a “good news” in a tweet, while Celine Verzeletti (UFSE-CGT) asked “general increases now and not in three months”.

7Is this thaw proposed by other candidates?

On the left, the thawing of the index point is a recurring proposition. The ecologist Yannick Jadot had wished it on franceinfo IJanuary 28 : “In absolutely essential sectors such as schools or hospitals, we will increase salaries by 20% on average over the five-year period, and we will increase the minimum wage to 1,500 euros net.”

The team of the candidate of La France insoumise has for its part announced the objective of “raise the index point of all civil servants by 10%”according to a tweet relayed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Saturday March 12. With “the increase in the minimum wage to 1,400 euros net per month”, “this will drive the economy and represent around 10 billion euros in revenue”.

The main right-wing candidates Valérie Pécresse (Les Républicains) and far-right Marine Le Pen (National Rally) and Eric Zemmour (Reconquest!) do not present a proposal on the point of the civil servants’ remuneration index in their program.


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