New permanent appointments in the Flemish civil service came to an end on 1 June. The measure means that all new staff will only be hired on a contractual basis and will no longer be able to enjoy full career tenure. The reform is part of the Flemish administration’s modernisation of personnel policy.
Around 70 per cent of Flanders’ 29,000 civil servants currently enjoy a permanent or career appointment with the other 30 per cent of workers on fixed-term or open-ended contracts.
Contractual employees enjoy far fewer benefits than their permanently appointed colleagues: their pay does not rise as quickly, they can be fired more easily, their pensions are lower and if they are ill, they fall back on 60 per cent of their pay after just one month.
The Flemish government is now ending the discrepancy between contract and permanent employees. The reforms will only apply to new staff. Current staff will continue to enjoy their current terms and conditions. To soften the blow the statute of contractual workers will be strengthened with improvements to their health cover and pensions.