Protesting civil servants fail to block introduction of new salary system

The government of canton Neuchâtel defied protests by hundreds of striking civil servants and introduced a new salary system on Wednesday.

The government of canton Neuchâtel defied protests by hundreds of striking civil servants and introduced a new salary system on Wednesday.

About 1,500 protesters booed and whistled in protest at the move, which came after talks between the cantonal authorities and a delegation of the striking employers ended in deadlock.

“We will now prepare for long-term strike action,” trade union spokesman André Babey said after the negotiations. New strike action has been set for Thursday.

The new salary system introduces revised salary brackets and links part of employee wages to job performance. Trade union representatives say the new brackets effectively mean a freeze on wages.

“We are not against evaluating the job performance of civil servants but we reject the idea of linking the evaluation to people’s salaries,” said Marianne Ebel, a leading trade union official.

Neuchâtel has now become the first French-speaking canton to introduce the system.

Several hundred civil servants had already staged a warning strike on Monday in protest at the salary reforms, saying the new regulations were enforced without proper negotiations or consultations with employees affected by the new system.

“They simply want to force this down our throat without really talking to us,” one of the protestors commented.

There have been heated debates during the past months over whether such a performance-linked salary system should be introduced into the civil service. Similar bonus payment proposals have been made for teachers in some cantons.

From staff and wire reports.