The rules for Contract Agents (‘general implementing provisions (GIPs [1]) 2017′) set out a process for a potential change of function group for CA3A. This ‘screening’ or ‘upgrade’ process can be organised, by way of exception, by the administration, taking into account the numbers of potentially eligible staff and available funds.
This means in practice that screening is neither routine nor predictable: the process can be patchy, sporadic and opaque.
The European Court of Auditors, 2019, Special report no 15/2019 [2]: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission – Big savings but not without consequences for staff has a table on p. 50 (Annex III) showing which tasks ostensibly correspond to which function groups.
It is this screening that resulted in a change of function group and an unforeseen later retirement age [3] for Mr Picard [4], until he took the matter to court and won.
Here are the CSC communications on screening exercises.
21.03.2024 HR [5] response
11.01.2024 Contract Agent Career perspectives – participation to the screening exercises (Art 13(2) of Commission decision C(2017)6760) [6]
27.04.2023 HR [7] response
15.11.2023 CCP [8]
22.03.2023 Contract agents — “screening” inventory and accelerated reclassification [9]
toolTips('.classtoolTips23','Contract Agents (CAs) were created by the 2004 staff regulations Reform. There are two types of CA: those with unlimited contracts, 3A [10] (‘indefinite’) and those with time-limited contracts [11], 3B [12]. CAs can belong to 4 different function groups (\'GF\') with different responsibilities and salaries [13].
As the use of contract staff becomes increasingly common, there has been a corresponding increase in the diversity of status and pay of the Commission’s workforce. For example, GFIV contract staff meeting the same minimum recruitment requirements (education and experience) as junior administrators may earn 28 % less. (European Court of Auditors, 2019, Special report no 15/2019 [2]: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission – Big savings but not without consequences for staff, point 61, page 34)
We have a working group dedicated to the dossier, and in December 2012 we addressed the first of many letters (\'notes\') about Contract Agents to Human Resources of all Institutions and agencies [14] (here is the cover e-mail [15]).
As a background you can see the report of the Commission to the Council regarding the recruitment of the contract agents in 2010 [16] (in French, COM(2011)802 final 23.11.2011).
');