Officials' misgivings about the major government administration reform

BarcelonaMajor changes are coming to the administration of the Generalitat. The 50 proposals from the Cetra expert group are on the tableThe government is still drafting the laws that will shape the transformation of the public sector in the coming years. The changes include everything from... simplification of administrative procedures From the incorporation of AI, through changes to competitive examinations and the end of politically appointed public managers with the introduction of competitive selection processes and protections against arbitrary dismissals, the reforms have been extensive. But what do representatives of public sector workers think?

When consulted by ARA, representatives from CCOO, UGT, IAC-Catac, and Intersindical agree on the need for reform, but have reservations about some aspects. A major demand is that the impact of these reforms on the Generalitat's workforce—which, with 299,336 employees, is the largest employer in Catalonia—be taken into account to avoid organizational collapse or exacerbating the problems of mismatch between the functions performed by workers and those officially assigned to them. Furthermore, the unions hope that the major reform will not leave pending demands shelved: for example, the reduction of the working week to 35 hours. Government sources are not ruling anything out, but warn that this must be addressed in a "general negotiation that includes more labor and economic aspects." These same sources decouple the administrative reform from the expansion of the workforce, arguing that "there is no correlation whatsoever" between the two. In any case, the Government must reconcile this reform with the retirement of almost a quarter of the Generalitat's civil servants before 2030. The Secretary of Public Policy for the CCOO union in Catalonia, Manuel Fages, is calling for a strategic plan to address this, and warns that, however much administrative simplification is intended, more people are needed. With an eye toward generational renewal, the executive has launched a program to encourage new careers among young people, in collaboration with universities, and is offering scholarships for young people up to 30 years old for senior-level positions. Assumpta Barbens, the general secretary of IAC-Catac, sees some problems with this measure: she regrets that it overlooks lower-level positions and older workers who, precisely, have greater difficulty finding employment in the private sector.

Barbens urges the Government to get serious about salaries. He laments the widespread perception that civil servants enjoy high salaries and enviable working conditions, when even within the public sector there are those who barely reach the minimum wage: this is the case, for example, of school caretakers, especially temporary staff without seniority. As an example, he points to the pay increases for the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) announced by the Catalan Government.up to 13,500 in eight years— they must be accompanied by administrative reinforcements: "Who manages their payroll? Who buys the uniforms?"

Dependence on the Spanish framework

Now that Parliament has validated the elimination of mandatory appointments and the right to make mistakesThe next legislative step in the reform is the new public employment law, scheduled for 2026. It may affect aspects such as the selection of civil servants or staff stability, but not others, which are governed by the national framework, the Basic Statute of Public Employees. Therefore, salary increases for Catalan civil servants also depend on decisions made in Madrid, as has become clear this week. with the agreement between Spanish unions and the State for an 11% salary increase until 2028From the UGT of Catalonia, the general secretary of public service, José Luis Fernández, emphasizes the importance of this agreement to end the so-called replacement rate—which limits the number of positions that can be opened each year—and to move towards a 35-hour workweek. He highlights the effort made towards "transparency" in the Catalan public employment law, although he sees room for improvement in some aspects, such as the representation of class-based unions on the Catalan Public Service Council or the creation of an out-of-court dispute resolution body, which currently does not exist. In contrast, the main complaint of the Intersindical union regarding the government's public employment law is the tying of Catalan civil servants to the national system, which they find lacking in any mention of working conditions. For his part, their collective bargaining secretary, Marc Alegre, is wary of the Presidency department's desire to recruit high-ranking officials from the private sector, through the New law on public managers is in process. "It's hard to believe that, with 300,000 workers, we have to look outside the company," he points out. Along the same lines, Fages warns: "If they want to move towards a senior management contract, we will be against it."

The unions agree with the idea of ​​depoliticizing the Catalan administration's public management. However, they warn that this could already have been achieved through appointments not based on party affiliation, and they will be open to parliamentary processing. Sources at the Presidency clarify that the proposed changes to the law do not include eliminating the requirement that deputy directors general be civil servants—they will only be given the same status as directors, but without removing this essential condition for this freely appointed position.

In any case, and although the Isla government has boasted of wanting to "shake things up" in the administration, several union sources assert that there have been no significant changes in the relationship with the Civil Service team—which is the same as the one left by the previous administration. The only controversy involving the Secretary of the Department, Alícia Corral, It was with the elimination of teleworking for senior officials of the GeneralitatFollowing orders from the Presidential Advisor, Albert Dalmau, this measure has stalled. There are no initiatives on the table to extend this restriction further down the administrative structure.