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Newsletter editorial – 07-06-2022

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Welcome to one more Newsletter  of Generation 2004.

In this issue we cover the very first general intermediary salary update. Colleagues in some Delegations were already used to it but unfortunately due to the dire crisis we are traversing the intermediary salary update clause kicked in for everyone in the EU pay-roll.

We also make a first assessment of the new rules on Working Time and Hybrid Working, and while at it we also launch a survey to help us better take the pulse of the ‘new normal’.

Ukraine and more specifically its refugees in Belgium still needs all our help and  to this end Generation 2004 joined a joint action with the other unions to request help from colleagues.

We also revisit the eternal drama of internal competitions with all it’s quirks and stress.

Finally we cover the situation around the yearly ‘surprise’ closure of the European Schools academic year; no explanation or sorry included!

Oh! And of course you should keep in mind that the season for appeals for non-proposal for promotion is soon upon us and, with it comes our yearly conference on the art of drafting your appeal and our offer to help you draft your text to make sure you maximize your chances of succeeding!

So, enough said, enjoy the reading!

An unprecedented general intermediate salary update

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As you surely are aware, our salaries are updated once a year: following a detailed calculation by Eurostat, we usually get a salary update with the December salary slip. The amount of the update is determined by what civil servants in the members states received as updates to their salaries. So far, so good, at least for (most) colleagues in the EU. Continue reading An unprecedented general intermediate salary update →

New rules on Working Time and Hybrid Working. Tell us what you think.

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*Check out the results of this survey*It is now two months since its adoption: is the new Decision on Working Time and Hybrid Working in line with your expectations? How many days are you allowed to telework? Do you feel everyone has the same opportunities?

Since DG HR has not yet gathered its courage to formally and concretely ask you what you think about the so-called “New Normal” and how it is affecting your professional and private lives, Generation 2004 dares to face “the elephant in the room” and ask YOU what YOU REALLY THINK.  Continue reading New rules on Working Time and Hybrid Working. Tell us what you think. →

The much expected new normal arrived, and it’s unfair for many!!!

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New Decision on Working Time and Teleworking: service à la carte = discrimination! [1]

Two months into the implementation of the new Decision, Generation 2004 has already received many complaints from colleagues whose Directorate General (DG) has a restrictive reading of the decision. According to the information we have received, several DGs and services, including DG GROW, DG TAXUD, OIL and the Legal Service, have drafted – or are drafting – guidelines that set up an obligation to come to the office 3 or even 4 days per week, to the dismay of many among their staff. Often the reason given is a generic “interest of the service”, without offering any specific details and consulting staff, while such need was not necessary prior to the pandemic. And without carrying out an analysis based on different types of jobs or tasks inside the DG or service.  Continue reading The much expected new normal arrived, and it’s unfair for many!!! →

Generation 2004 continues supporting Ukrainian refugees

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The war in Ukraine that followed its illegal and unjustified invasion by the Russian Federation keeps raging after three and a half months. With it, millions of refugees have fled the country, with EU countries – Ukraine’s closest geographical neighbors – becoming their natural escape.

Against this backdrop, Generation 2004 continues its engagement to support Ukrainian refugees and has joined the joint action of all trade unions for Ukrainian refugees in Belgium. Below we share this action and we also ask colleagues to keep helping. It is still extremely necessary to make sure the victims of this war feel supported. Continue reading Generation 2004 continues supporting Ukrainian refugees →

Unreliable European school calendar

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Imagine that an educational institution sets a calendar at the beginning of the school year, clearly detailing the start, holidays and end of the course, but that one month before its end, announces that the course will be cut by two weeks, without any explanation. 

You can stop imagining because this surreal situation is actually going on at the European School of Ixelles in Brussels. On 4/05/2022, the school notified that pupils from S1 to S4 would end their school year on 21/06/2022 instead of the planned date, 1/07/2022. The European School of Uccle in Brussels also announced it on 13/05/2022, at least providing an explanation: they need the full school and all the teachers to organize the Bac oral examinations.  Continue reading Unreliable European school calendar →

Internal competitions – fast careers… for some

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*Update 19.02.2025: ‘By default, all [internal] competitions will be cross-category.’ (Stay tuned: A new approach for internal competitions) This is excellent news and should now put the Commission on an even footing with the Parliament and other EU institutions. We hope that this inclusion is genuine and that the competitions are not  otherwise skewed to reduce participation.* Continue reading Internal competitions – fast careers… for some →

Newsletter editorial – 13-04-2022

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Welcome to the Easter edition of the Generation 2004 Newsletter. Today we take a close look at the Junior Professionals Programme: what are its objectives and has it reached them? We update you on the new home leave decision 2022, an important factor for colleagues who work really far from home. If you are among the many colleagues who want to help Ukrainian refugees, you will be happy to learn that DG HR has reacted to our request that more days of volunteering work should be recognized for this.

If you are interested in the internal competitions, you must not miss our latest information on it. And finally, we present you a summary of the many changes introduced by the new decision on working time and hybrid working.

We hope that you enjoy this edition and we wish you a happy and safe Easter. If you think that we have missed anything important, please get in touch!

New decision on working time and hybrid working: summary of changes

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It is April and the new decision on working time and hybrid working has come into effect. Generation 2004 was heavily involved in the discussion process with the administration and we would like to present you the main points of the new decision. The decision is rather complex: FAQs are available as well.

Before starting, please understand that this is a completely new decision and that many details will depend on your DG and your line manager. Therefore, we are especially interested in your feedback! How does your DG interpret the rules? Is it a flexible approach or a one-size-fits-all model? Is your DG rather strict on the amount of teleworking or can you use the full 60% available for “normal” cases?

Continue reading New decision on working time and hybrid working: summary of changes →

Update on our collective action on internal competitions

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We are in April and DG HR has not yet provided competition planning (provisional or otherwise). We do not think that this will change any time soon. Even if the planning was to become available now, the ongoing exclusion of certain staff categories (16 000 potentially eligible staff) from internal competitions requires action and the most recent example of this is the internal competition published at the end of the last year (COM/AD/02/21). Continue reading Update on our collective action on internal competitions →