Local Staff Committee

Electoral reform proposals: transparency in the ballot lists

Brussels, Electoral reform, Local Staff Committee, Newsletter - 2021-09-08 Print This Post

At Generation 2004 we make no secret of the fact that we would like to see electoral reform. A standardisation of the electoral rules would make the staff representation not just simpler and significantly more user friendly for all, but also much more transparent.

That transparency would, ideally, also be extended to groupings of trade unions and staff associations (OSPs). It is imperative that staff know for whom they are voting: the voting system is already opaque and any agreements in place between OSPs should be made clear in order to allow staff to make informed decisions when voting. [1] Continue reading Electoral reform proposals: transparency in the ballot lists →

Geel elections: Generation 2004 staff representatives 2021

Elections, Electoral reform, Geel Print This Post

Despite being in the period of summer holiday, the July 2021 Geel local staff committee election has been successfully concluded with your support! You gave us 294 votes in total, which corresponds to 7 out of 14 elected representatives [1]. Generation 2004 thanks each and every colleague who took the effort to participate in the paper voting (no electronic voting for Geel as yet). Continue reading Geel elections: Generation 2004 staff representatives 2021 →

Deadline extension: LA employment-conditions reform

EEAS, Local Agents, Newsletter - 2021-05-21, Outside the Union Print This Post

Generation 2004 is glad to inform you that the deadline for Local agents to decide whether they would like to accept the new Local Agent conditions is now extended to 31 December 2021.

If you wish to have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Continue reading Deadline extension: LA employment-conditions reform →

Lingua franca, what? SCIC

Brussels, Elections, Local Staff Committee, Newsletter - 2020-07-01 Print This Post

What does it mean when your interlocutor refuses to use the only language you both have in common? Is it a (repeated) oversight? Forgetfulness? Something else?

Why on earth would anyone do this on purpose? They wouldn’t, right?

Regardless of the motivation, it’s awkward, isn’t it, being spoken at in a language you don’t understand, especially when you know you have a language in common and you’ve asked several times to use it. Continue reading Lingua franca, what? SCIC →

UPDATE on teleworking in delegations – adapting work practice to a new reality

Local Agents, Newsletter - 2020-07-01, Outside the Union, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

Generation 2004 wish to update you on teleworking in EU Delegations.

In January 2018, the European External Action Service (EEAS) started a teleworking pilot project in four Delegations. This was possible also thanks to the proactive role of Generation 2004 members who worked closely with the EEAS and the Commission (‘COM’) on this file. By the end of 2019, the number of Delegations covered by teleworking increased from 4 to 24 (out of 143 Delegations and Offices). In the pilot phase, colleagues had the opportunity to apply for occasional teleworking, subject to the approval of their hierarchy. Some Delegations have excluded local agents (LA) assistants and secretaries which is an issue of concern to be addressed. Continue reading UPDATE on teleworking in delegations – adapting work practice to a new reality →

The old guards maintaining the status quo in Karlsruhe and Geel

Elections, Electoral reform, Geel, Karlsruhe, Newsletter - 2021-06-16 Print This Post

*Here are the 2021 Karlsruhe election results.* Original article: The infinite depths of (Commission) space. The final frontier: the Joint Research Centre (JRC).  Its mission: to boldly go where noone (Commission official) has gone before: research, innovation, digitalisation, green deal … Really? Also at the JRC Karlsruhe and Geel?

What happened there? Continue reading The old guards maintaining the status quo in Karlsruhe and Geel →

On career unionism and the fallacy of irreplaceability (long read)

Central Staff Committee, Elections, Local Staff Committee, Newsletter - 2021-06-16, OSPs, Social Dialogue Print This Post

To start with, lets clear the air and get this out in the open: the discussions between the administration and the staff (‘social dialogue (SD)’) via the elected representatives (‘staff representation (SR)’)  and the trade unions and professional staff associations (OSPs), are necessary. As DG Human Resources and Security (DG HR) puts it on the Staff Matters website, the social dialogue: Continue reading On career unionism and the fallacy of irreplaceability (long read) →

Local agent employment-conditions reform

EEAS, Local Agents, Newsletter - 2021-05-21, Outside the Union Print This Post

Here are updates and the review process of the salary-revision decision. Subsequent to the conclusion of the social dialogue for the local agent (LA) employment conditions, which should replace the Framework Rules, all LA colleagues will have until 30 June 2021 to decide whether to sign the package of conditions. If you have any questions or need any assistance, you can contact Generation 2004. Continue reading Local agent employment-conditions reform →

The same electoral rules for all!

Brussels, Elections, Electoral reform, Geel, Ispra-Seville, Karlsruhe, Local Staff Committee, Luxembourg, Newsletter - 2021-04-28, Outside the Union, Petten, Social Dialogue Print This Post

Uniform and fully democratic electoral rules throughout the Commission, synchronised electronic elections at all sites and, last but not least, a separate local staff committee (LSC) for Seville: these are the key elements of a proposal for staff-representation reform developed by Generation 2004. We have been raising these issues in one form or another since at least 2013 and have actively led on related efforts to address these three points on several occasions. Continue reading The same electoral rules for all! →