Newsletter – 2021-10-12

Newsletter editorial – 12-10-2021

Editorial, Newsletter - 2021-10-12 Print This Post

Welcome to this latest edition of the Generation 2004 newsletter. We take a look at the latest version of the working time and hybrid working rules and at he latest casualty of the ‘dynamic open spaces’ movement. 2021 is an unprecedented year in terms of elections 6 in one year! A special mention for Karlsruhe which has its LSC election today! There are 4 more to go this year: those delayed because of the pandemic are now planned and coincide with those that would have happened this year anyway.  We thank you for your help in making some election rules fairer and more transparent.  We highlight the case of a colleague who finally gained access to their medical file: it’s important to see the information being used to make decisions about you.  We also update you on the long-standing issue of the flawed promotions system, we debunk a myth about internal competitions and track the declining numbers of ASTs. If you haven’t already, please take a minute to participate in our workload/burnout survey, we’d like to know how you’re doing. We’re also still open to shows of support for our note to Mr Hahn on the obligatory return to the office before the worries and issues voiced by staff were addressed.

Enjoy the reading and, as usual, let us know if we can help with anything!

The old guard and the Commission promotion exercise

Central Staff Committee, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Promotions Print This Post

Since its inception in 2012, Generation 2004 has been constructively critical of the Commission’s promotion exercise. We believe this exercise is flawed in several ways and that it should be reviewed and updated to a more transparent and fair system. We feel so strongly about this that we have taken the Commission to court over the matter. The court agreed with the Commission and issued a negative ruling for Generation 2004 Continue reading The old guard and the Commission promotion exercise →

2025 where are we now?

Brussels, Elections, Electoral reform, Geel, Ispra-Seville, Karlsruhe, Local Staff Committee, Luxembourg, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Outside the Union, Petten Print This Post

Commission-wide, Generation 2004 has 33% of the vote as of June 2024. Some context: there are eight ‘local’ staff committees (LSCs) and one additional non-LSC staff committee which we mention in the table below.

The 8 LSCs are sometimes called ‘sections’ since all together they contribute to the Commission-wide Central Staff Committee (CSC): Brussels, France, Geel, Karlsruhe, Luxembourg, Outside the Union (CLP-HU) and Ispra and Seville (yes, a shared LSC). Continue reading 2025 where are we now? →

The ONE: is this the future of the European civil service?

Brussels, Luxembourg, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Open Plan Office Print This Post

*Update 24.11.2023: Can any of you send us a photo of the new flexible-working ‘toolkit‘ inside a locker?[*]*

*Update 22.02.2022: we’re hearing that colleagues are changing DG in order to avoid open space/hot-desking. Is this you? Get in touch, we’d like to hear from you!*

Original article: No assigned desk and a cold pasta Bolognese from the vending machine: is this the future of the European civil service? If you want a glimpse of the latest building being showcased as the future the administration is designing for the EU civil service, come with us and visit ‘The ONE’, aka L107. This, the future workplace of some 1700 Commission staff from next year, comes not long after the dynamic open spaces set up in DG BUDG, DG TRADE, and is soon to be followed by the new Publications Office (OP) (POST-Mercier) and the Jean Monnet 2 (JMO2). Continue reading The ONE: is this the future of the European civil service? →

The ‘new normal’: is this it? FAQs 11.10.2021

additional teleworking costs, FAQs, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Open Plan Office, return to the office-new normal, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

*This FAQs is superseded by 28.10.2021 version*

We had the second of a proposed two social dialogue meetings on the implementation of working time and hybrid working yesterday (Monday 11.10.2021). HR agreed to a third meeting: there are many questions still outstanding Continue reading The ‘new normal’: is this it? FAQs 11.10.2021 →

Thanks to your support, fairer and more transparent election rules adopted!

Brussels, Elections, Electoral reform, Local Staff Committee, Newsletter - 2021-10-08, Newsletter - 2021-10-12 Print This Post

Thanks to your overwhelming support, the Generation 2004 proposals which aimed at ensuring fairer and more-transparent staff representation elections were adopted with 90% in favour during the Brussels and Commission Representations in the EU staff general assembly (24.09.2021).

Why we needed change Continue reading Thanks to your support, fairer and more transparent election rules adopted! →

Generation 2004 member wins a case on access to their medical file!

Data Protection, disability and special needs, Health, Newsletter - 2021-10-08, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, PMO, workplace bullying and harassment Print This Post

Generation 2004 has been fighting hard for the effective implementation of the right of staff to have full and timely access to their medical file.

Access to your own medical file and the right to update the information contained there are very important, particularly in circumstances where that information is used to make a decision about you e.g. whether you are fit enough to continue to work or even just to be recruited.  A lack of transparency leads to questions about fairness and motives [1]. Of course, occasionally there may be legitimate reasons for insisting that a doctor access parts of the file on your behalf. However, we all still have the right to consult (via a healthcare professional, if necessary) the information in our medical history and to correct it or add a note where necessary. Continue reading Generation 2004 member wins a case on access to their medical file! →

Internal competitions: EU institutions doing it differently

Assistants, Institutions, Internal Competitions, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2021-10-08, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Professional mobility, Secretaries and clerks Print This Post

*Update 10.11.2024 the European Court of Auditors, Special report 24/2024: EU Civil service–A flexible employment framework, insufficiently used to improve workforce management, 2024 paragraph 89 and 96 confirm what we said below in 2021:  there is no legal impediment to opening internal competitions to staff from other function groups. Continue reading Internal competitions: EU institutions doing it differently →

Stop the phasing out of the AST function group!

Assistants, Newsletter - 2021-10-08, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

A brief history of assistants, secretaries and clerks in the European Commission

Since 2018 Generation 2004 has been warning of and working against the phasing out of the assistants (AST) function group (FG) and the placing of all AST staff in ‘transition’. To better understand the issues at stake, we need to briefly examine the history and evolution of assistants, secretaries and clerks (AST/SC) in the European Commission.  Continue reading Stop the phasing out of the AST function group! →