A historic reform of local civil service in Wallonia

This reform aims to be ambitious for a stronger, more modern and more attractive local civil service:

Our municipalities, CPAS, inter-municipal bodies, autonomous agencies and provinces form the first level of proximity to citizens. Every day, it is local authorities that carry out essential tasks: civil registry, safety, housing, social action, roads, urban planning, environment, schools, childcare, cleanliness, and support for community organisations.

Yet everyone sees it on the ground: our local authorities face major challenges. Recruitment difficulties, shortages in certain professions, administrative rigidity, insufficient mobility, the coexistence of different statuses creating unequal treatment, cumbersome HR procedures, exploding costs linked to statutory pensions: these are all realities that are gradually weakening the efficiency of our local authorities.

Faced with this reality, the Walloon Government is carrying out an ambitious reform of local civil service, enshrined in the 2024-2029 Regional Policy Statement. Its objective is clear: to modernise local civil service to give municipalities and CPAS the human resources adapted to today's challenges, while strengthening the attractiveness of local public sector jobs.

This reform does not aim to weaken public services or call into question their fundamental role. On the contrary. It aims to consolidate a strong, high-performing local public service capable of attracting and retaining talent, in a context of growing competition with the private sector.

The goal pursued is simple: to build a fairer, more coherent, more mobile and more efficient local civil service.

A single local civil service: the birth of "La Locale"

The first fundamental change in the reform is to create a genuinely unified local civil service, called "La Locale".

Today, the rules differ greatly depending on whether one works in a municipality, a CPAS, an inter-municipal body, an autonomous agency or a province. Statuses, procedures, career progression and employment conditions can vary greatly from one structure to another, making career paths complex and hindering mobility.

The reform aims to put an end to these administrative silos.

From now on, a common logic will be gradually introduced between:

• municipalities;
• CPAS;
• Chapter XII associations;
• inter-municipal bodies;
• autonomous municipal agencies;
• provinces;
• autonomous provincial agencies.

The idea is not to erase local specificities or municipal autonomy. Each local authority will retain its freedom of internal organisation and HR management. However, a common set of harmonised minimum rules will be introduced to allow for greater consistency, fluidity and fairness.

The objective is twofold:

Facilitate careers and mobility

A municipal employee will be able to move more easily to a CPAS, an inter-municipal body or a province without having to start from scratch. Acquired skills will be better recognised and valued.

Strengthen the attractiveness of local jobs

In a tight labour market, local authorities must be able to offer genuine career prospects, clearer career paths and more flexibility.

In other words, it is no longer a matter of thinking municipality by municipality, but rather of viewing local authorities as a coherent ecosystem, capable of sharing talent, expertise and best practices.

This logic is particularly important in shortage or highly specialised occupations, where some administrations currently face real recruitment difficulties.

Permanent contracts become the rule for future recruitment: a pragmatic and responsible reform

Future recruitment into local civil service will henceforth be through permanent contracts, with the exception of statutory grades.

This reform does not abolish the status of currently appointed staff.

All statutory employees currently in post retain their acquired rights and their appointment in full. There is therefore no retroactive change.

It is important to clarify that a permanent contract does not mean an absence of requirements. As in any modern organisation, staff will need to meet service expectations and the requirements of their role. In cases of persistent dysfunction, professional inadequacy or clear mismatch with service needs, mechanisms for ending the employment relationship will exist, within a legally secure framework and with procedural guarantees. The aim is not to weaken staff, but to enable more responsible, more responsive HR management better adapted to realities on the ground.

The reform concerns future recruitment.

Why this choice?

Because we must face reality: today, more than 80% of Walloon local employees are already on contracts. In municipalities and CPAS, nearly 82% of staff are already under contract. In CPAS, this proportion even exceeds 87%.

In other words, the reality on the ground has already changed profoundly.

Artificially maintaining two very different systems today creates:

• unequal treatment;
• management difficulties;
• administrative burden;
• mobility problems;
• frustrations in career development.

The aim is therefore to gradually harmonise the rules between all local employees, to ensure greater equality, clarity and consistency.

But there is also a major financial issue at stake.

A crucial issue: saving local finances from exploding statutory pension costs

The reform also responds to a budgetary reality that has become extremely worrying for local authorities: the cost of statutory pensions.

Today, statutory employees' pensions are financed through a closed system borne by the local authorities themselves.

However, this system has become increasingly heavy to bear:

• the number of statutory employees is decreasing;
• the burden of pensioners is increasing;
• contributions are soaring;
• the financial responsibility placed on municipalities is becoming increasingly significant.

In concrete terms, this means that many municipalities are devoting an increasing share of their budgets to financing past pensions, sometimes at the expense of investment, services or active staff.

The reform therefore aims to gradually restore local finances to health in the long term, by bringing new employees under the general private-sector pension scheme.

This does not solve everything immediately, the Government itself acknowledges this, but it is an essential structural measure to prevent the bill from continuing to soar for municipalities.

And above all: a dedicated monitoring group will be tasked with assessing the financial impact of the reform, in order to support local authorities and identify any necessary corrections.

A reform of recruitment: more objectivity, more transparency and more efficiency

Another important pillar of the reform concerns recruitment and promotion procedures.

The objective pursued is clear: to modernise local HR management, strengthen confidence in public recruitment and reduce the administrative burdens that currently slow down certain appointments.

• The principle maintained: the public call for candidates

The reform confirms a fundamental principle: access to public jobs must remain open, transparent and based on skills.

The principle of the public call for candidates is therefore maintained.

This means that recruitment will continue to be based on:

• the advertising of positions;
• equality between candidates;
• objective criteria;
• selection based on skills.

The objective is simple: to ensure that the best candidate is recruited, in the interest of public service and citizens.

• An important clarification: everyone their role between politics and administration

The reform also clarifies the role of politics in recruitment.

In concrete terms, political mandate-holders will no longer sit on selection committees as jury members, but will still be able to act as observers.

This point will inevitably spark debate. However, an essential reality must be recalled: the political decision is not removed.

Everyone's role is simply clarified.

Politics sets:

• the vision;
• the budgetary framework;
• the recruitment plan;
• the strategic needs of the administration.

The administration itself conducts the technical selection based on skills.

And above all: the final decision remains in the hands of the executive body (municipal college, permanent bureau, board of directors, etc.).

In other words, the College retains the power of appointment.

It will still be able to:

• analyse applications;
• hear candidates;
• deviate from the proposed ranking, provided reasons are given.

The reform does not therefore remove elected officials' decision-making power; it aims above all to make recruitment more legally secure, avoid suspicions of favouritism and further professionalise HR procedures.

In a context of increasingly frequent appeals to the Council of State or labour courts, this objectification also provides protection for mandate-holders themselves.

• Internal and external mobility finally made easier

The reform also creates a particularly anticipated development: mobility within "La Locale".

Today, changing municipality, CPAS or inter-municipal body often means starting an entire administrative process from scratch.

This rigidity discourages many experienced professionals.

In future, local authorities will be able to promote more:

• internal mobility;
• promotions;
• bridges between local entities;
• recognition of acquired skills.

Certain procedures may even be reserved for staff already working within local civil service.

The objective is clear: to retain talent within local authorities rather than losing it to other sectors.

For small municipalities, this is a major issue.

How many municipalities today lose a financial director, an urban planner, a lawyer or a public procurement expert due to a lack of prospects or flexibility?

The reform aims precisely to create genuine local career paths, more fluid and more attractive.

A more attractive local civil service: training, supporting and developing staff

An employer's attractiveness does not depend solely on salary.

It is also based on:

• career prospects;
• opportunities for development;
• recognition;
• training;
• the quality of management.

That is why the reform strongly reinforces the logic of ongoing training.

• Training becomes a genuine career lever

The reform recognises that local jobs are constantly evolving.

Administrations today must contend with:

• increasingly complex regulations;
• digital transition;
• new citizen expectations;
• the growing legal complexity of files.

It is therefore logical to provide for continuous skills development.

Training is designed as an investment, not a constraint.

It will make it possible to:

• strengthen skills;
• better support shortage occupations;
• promote career advancement;
• support mobility between local entities.

The aim is also to prevent an employee from being stuck in the same position for twenty years with no possible progression.

In other words: a local public career must become a genuine professional path, no longer simply administrative stability.

• A new vision of evaluation: progressing rather than sanctioning

The reform also profoundly modernises the logic of evaluation.

For a long time, evaluation in local civil service was often perceived as:

• an administrative formality;
• a document with no real use;
• or, conversely, a tool used only when a problem existed.

This logic is changing.

Evaluation becomes above all a tool for dialogue and professional progression.

It should make it possible to:

• set clear objectives;
• identify difficulties;
• support staff;
• value skills;
• anticipate training needs.

In other words: it is no longer a matter of "monitoring" an employee, but of helping them progress.

For HR managers and team leaders, this represents a genuine cultural shift.

The idea is to move from an administrative logic to a modern management logic.

And this is essential: a well-supported employee is a more motivated, more stable and more effective employee.

• More flexible staff management: greater flexibility for local authorities

The reform also brings greater pragmatism to day-to-day staff management.

A relaxation of rules on additional activities

Today, certain regulations strongly limit employees' additional activities.

However, developments in the labour market show that it is becoming increasingly common to have:

• a secondary activity;
• a freelance assignment;
• a teaching activity;
• an additional mandate.

The reform therefore establishes a more flexible principle: combining roles becomes possible, unless there is an objective incompatibility.

The local authority will always be able to prohibit an activity where there is:

• a conflict of interest;
• a risk to neutrality;
• an availability issue;
• a confidentiality concern.

But we are moving from a logic of blanket prohibition to a logic of accountability and trust.

It is also a way to improve the attractiveness of public sector jobs.

In certain sectors facing shortages, this flexibility can make a real difference.

For example for:

• engineers;
• specialised lawyers;
• IT experts;
• architects;
• certain technical profiles.

Harmonised rights and duties: a fairer and more consistent local civil service

• Harmonised rights and duties

Another major aim of the reform is to put an end to the sometimes hard-to-understand differences in treatment between contract and statutory staff.

Today, depending on the employment status, certain rules differ significantly:

• career development arrangements;
• disciplinary sanctions;
• procedures for ending the employment relationship;
• evaluation mechanisms;
• mobility;
• administrative rules.

This coexistence sometimes creates a sense of unfairness within teams.

The reform therefore gradually aims for greater equality of treatment, so that rights and obligations are more harmonised, regardless of the starting status.

The idea is simple: comparable work, comparable rules.

This should enable:

• greater cohesion within teams;
• fewer internal tensions;
• simplified HR management;
• greater clarity for local employers.

Let us be clear: this does not mean total standardisation or the immediate disappearance of all differences. Current statutory staff retain their existing rights. But the direction being pursued is that of a simpler and fairer local civil service.

• A reform of the disciplinary system: more clarity, more fairness

The reform also modernises the disciplinary system, with a simple goal: making it more consistent, fairer and more effective.

Today, certain sanctions apply only to statutory staff, others differently to contract staff, which sometimes makes the procedures complex and unclear.

The reform provides for a harmonisation of the disciplinary system so that it applies to all local staff.

A fundamental principle must be restated here: discipline is not a political sanction.

It is a normal management tool for any organisation.

Every employer, public or private, must be able to enforce:

• professional obligations;
• internal rules;
• respect for the hierarchy;
• the functioning of the service.

This clarification is important for local elected officials.

How many elected officials today find themselves facing extremely burdensome, lengthy and legally complex HR situations, sometimes to the detriment of how services function?

The reform aims precisely to provide greater clarity and legal certainty.

This is not about adopting a punitive approach, but about enabling more professional team management, in the interest of public service.

The reform also recalls an often-forgotten truth: the public service must be demanding of itself, because it is funded by the taxpayer and provides an essential service to citizens.

• Neutrality: guaranteeing an impartial administration serving everyone

The reform explicitly enshrines the principle of neutrality in the local civil service.

This topic deserves a calm explanation.

Neutrality means that every citizen must be treated equally, objectively and impartially, regardless of:

• their beliefs;
• their political opinions;
• their religion;
• their personal circumstances.

This protects both citizens and staff members themselves.

This neutrality is also a guarantee of institutional stability: an administration must be able to function effectively, regardless of political changeovers.

In concrete terms, this means that the administration implements democratically taken decisions with loyalty and objectivity.

However, it will be up to local authorities to define the concrete implementation arrangements in their internal regulations, which preserves room for adaptation to local realities.

In other words: a common principle is set, without imposing a rigid one-size-fits-all framework on all municipalities.

• Better management of absenteeism and incapacity: moving beyond current rigidities

The reform also provides for a harmonisation of the rules on work incapacity and illness.

This point is particularly important for local authorities, which are sometimes faced with complex human situations but also major organisational difficulties.

The aim pursued is not to weaken workers.

It is to find a fairer balance between protecting staff and ensuring continuity of public service.

The reform provides in particular for:

• a harmonised sick leave scheme;
• more consistent mechanisms between staff members;
• the possibility of ending an employment relationship in the event of definitive incapacity due to medical force majeure, within a legally secure framework.

Let us be clear: this is not about “sacking sick people”.

It is about avoiding certain administratively insoluble situations in which neither the employee nor the administration finds a viable solution for years.

All of this is part of a logic of human, balanced and legally secure management.

For municipalities facing replacement difficulties or weakened services, this clarification represents a very concrete challenge.

Conclusion: a modernisation reform serving our municipalities

This reform of the local civil service is a reform of modernisation, simplification and responsibility.

It starts from a clear-eyed observation: the challenges our local authorities face today can no longer be managed with tools designed for another era.

In a context of talent shortages, growing budgetary constraints and ever higher citizen expectations, it was essential to rethink how the local civil service operates.

The choice made by the Walloon Government is clear: strengthen local authorities by giving them more flexibility, attractiveness and capacity to act, while consolidating a strong, high-quality local public service.

This reform does not call into question the fundamental role of local public service. On the contrary, it gives it the means to continue fulfilling its missions effectively in the decades to come.

Because a high-performing local public service depends first and foremost on motivated, recognised, well-trained people recruited on the basis of their skills.

And because helping our municipalities function better also means serving citizens better.