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Newsletter editorial – 4-3-2021

Welcome to the second newsletter of 2021. We hope this finds you as well as can be expected as we mark one year of enforced teleworking for the vast majority of us.

In this edition we answer some of the questions you’ve asked on certification, promotion decisions and teleworking from abroad before Easter (note that the flexibility days are available in sysper). We also give you the latest updates on the COVID vaccination campaigns and measures together with home-working-reimbursement updates: we query the suspension of annual medicals at the medical service and the reimbursement of related tests at only 80/85%.

Generation 2004 looks out for your inclusion and well-being in our articles on the right to disconnect and on the extension of the hot-desking policy to the new buildings in Brussels.

Take care and enjoy reading!

Teleworking from abroad before the Easter break

You asked, we listened! Many of you have contacted us recently to enquire about the possibility to telework from abroad before the Easter break [1], as was the case in summer 2020 and before Christmas (setting a precedent).

We at Generation 2004 reacted promptly to your requests by asking DG HR to allow this flexibility again. It was our previous requests on your behalf that resulted in the possibility to telework from abroad for 2 weeks in the summer and before the Christmas break: these requests were accepted and led to a well-deserved and very-much-appreciated flexibility for staff, after months of isolation and restrictions due to the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading Teleworking from abroad before the Easter break

Latest news on COVID vaccination, teleworking and the right to disconnect

At Generation 2004 we continue to closely follow the development of all matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to voice your concerns and requests to the administration.

Here you find the most up-to-date information provided during the last meeting with DG HR devoted to COVID-19 (the 20th on the issue so far!) held 12 February 2021, complemented with that provided in communication update 30. Continue reading Latest news on COVID vaccination, teleworking and the right to disconnect

Certification: you asked, we answer!

You asked us (conference, 28.1.2021) how many assistants (ASTs) successfully complete the certification process (no mean feat!) but do not find an administrator (AD) post.[*] This information is not so readily available but we’re good at digging and we asked HR to fill in some blanks and clear up discrepancies.

We count 1097 successful officials (the certifiés/those ’certified’ as apt [1]) in total from all 15 certification procedures to date (2005-2019 [2]) using HR reports for 2015 and 2019, together with administrative notices. HR confirms this count but provides figures which differ slightly from those published (see updated tables below [3]). Continue reading Certification: you asked, we answer!

Digital overload and the right to disconnect: the Commission must act now!

As Commission staff, we are now approaching one full year of compulsory teleworking, with no clear prospects as to when we will be able to go back to the office. Many of you contacted us at Generation 2004 to share your concerns regarding what this ‘new way of working’ means in practice: sitting more hours in front of the computer, being forever reachable, reading emails at midnight Continue reading Digital overload and the right to disconnect: the Commission must act now!

The ONE: the latest casualty of the hot-desking policy of the Commission

A silent revolution, without the involvement of staff and staff representatives.

One year ago, on Friday 13 March 2020, we were all told to go home and start teleworking. No one would have imagined at the time that by now the vast majority of staff would still be doing compulsory 100% telework.

However, while we are sitting at home doing our best to continue delivering on our objectives in spite of all the difficulties created by the pandemic, in our empty buildings things are moving fast. A silent revolution, already well under way, pre-Corona, continues full steam ahead: from DG BUDG, to DG TRADE, to the new Publications Office (OP) (POST-Mercier), to the Jean Monnet 2 (JMO2) and now rue de la Loi. Continue reading The ONE: the latest casualty of the hot-desking policy of the Commission

The mystery of how DGs choose promotion proposals

At this time of year, many of us learn in our career development review (CDR) whether our hopes for promotion are likely to be met. While there are a relatively small number of colleagues who will be also promoted via the appeals process in the autumn, for most of us it is appearing on the DG proposal lists that is key to our promotions. (As a guide, for 2020 it was 18 June.[1]) Continue reading The mystery of how DGs choose promotion proposals

Newsletter editorial – 3-2-2021

Welcome to the first Generation 2004 Newsletter of 2021. And to week 47 of telework for most of us.

Since our last instalment we’ve given over 200 colleagues one-to-one assistance with their self-assessment for the annual career development review (CDR) and provided presentations on the CDR, promotions and AST careers/certification: we’ve made the recordings and PowerPoints available on our website.

We look now at the certification process and why it’s becoming more and more difficult to make the leap from AST to AD. We also update you on the outcome of our special-leave-for-parents-of-young-children petition. We provide details of the latest information exchange with DG Trade on their shift to open plan and now our work with the Committee for prevention and protection at work (CPPT) shows in its agreement that staff be consulted before any reorganisation of office space. We provide the latest news from the Central Staff Committee and share the JSIS updates on reimbursement for psychological support and COVID-19 vaccination.

Generation 2004 is hiring a part-time secretary (50%) for its headquarters in Brussels (depending on future availability this might become 100%). If you are a Contract Agent FGII you can join the team.

One last-minute mention: the proposed CHAFEA accompanying committee will happen and there is now a January 2021 edition of CHAFEA’s frequently asked questions (49 pages long!).

Take care and enjoy reading!

Certified ASTs: an endangered species?

*20.10.2022–14.12.2022: Evaluation and pre-selection of eligible applications by the DGs/Services for 2022/23 exercise*

Belated congratulations to our 42 colleagues declared certifié in December 2020 *and 44 from 2021* they now finally begin the very last stage in this long and arduous quest, that of finding an AD post, well done and good luck in your search! Continue reading Certified ASTs: an endangered species?

Central Staff Committee voted to continue Business as Usual

The Renouveau & Démocratie (R&D)-controlled majority in the Central Staff Committee (CSC) has rejected proposals from Generation 2004 to make the work of the Central Staff Committee more efficient, transparent and inclusive.

Under the guise of business continuity, it voted for the status quo, and to address none of the pressing problems that have hampered the work of the CSC for years. Continue reading Central Staff Committee voted to continue Business as Usual