Meisch last year met with fiery opposition as he planned to open directorships at four specialised high schools (Lycée technique pour professions de santé, Lycée technique pour professions éducatives et sociales, Lycée technique agricole and l'École d'hôtellerie et de tourisme du Luxembourg) to applicants from the private sector.

The education minister withdrew the bill and with the union on Tuesday agreed that the posts would be reserved for people from the public sector who can show relevant education experience and speak Luxembourg’s three official languages, German, French and Luxembourgish.

A more detailed proposal will be developed by the education ministry together with the CGFP, a joint agreement said. “The CGFP’s tireless resistance to the creeping privatisation of the public sector has paid off,” the union added in a statement.

Language criteria will also be upheld for positions at the Department for the Coordination of Educational and Technological Research and Innovation (Script), the Institut de Formation de l'Éducation Nationale (Ifen) and the Centre de gestion informatique de l'éducation (CGIE).

Under a bill presented by Meisch, only two of the three languages would have been required for some posts.

Staff from a wider range of civil service careers can in future apply for senior positions at the three institutes provided they hold a Master’s degree in a field relevant to the job and have worked at least five years for the state.

“Thus, it will be guaranteed that access to these managerial functions will not be open to persons directly from the private sector and that the number of potential candidates will nevertheless be increased,” the ministry and CGFP said.