Seconded employees are appearing not only at Minister Petra De Sutter (Green), but also at Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). According to the newspaper La Libre, three employees of the NMBS and Infrabel work at the cabinet. The deputy prime minister’s driver is one of them. Remarkable, since secondment is often presented as a way to find specialized people in other administrations or public companies.
The driver has been on the payroll of the transport company for years, HR-Rail – the employer of all Belgian railway employees – confirms this to the newspaper. It was the previous Minister of Mobility François Belot (MR) who had offered the position to his cabinet.
From a legal point of view, Gilkinet is not doing anything wrong and, unlike De Sutter, there is no risk of a conflict of interest, but La Libre does question whether it is appropriate to use an NMBS employee to transport a minister.
