In the recent elections, Generation 2004 won four seats (out of 21) on the Ispra/Seville Local Staff Committee (LSC), which means a doubling of the number of seats, compared to the last elections. The list votes cast for Generation 2004 increased from 8.5 % to 12.3 % and the preferential votes from 9.2 % to 22.5 %. This is, overall, an excellent result considering that we faced a number of obstacles during the electoral process, including a sudden re-interpretation of the rules on supplementary candidate nominations, leading to the rejection of seven Generation 2004 candidates by the Electoral Bureau (EB), even though those candidates were nominated following the EB’s initial instructions. A particular difficulty of these elections was the timing.

Just because DG HR demanded to have the LSC elections still in May, bluntly neglecting the well-reasoned decisions of the General Assembly of Ispra/Seville staff to have it at a later time, the polling period fell during the Pentecost holidays. This led to the electoral campaign being rather short and the quorum (two thirds of staff) being met only on the very last day of the extended (!) electoral period. Continue reading Generation 2004 doubles number of seats in Ispra/Seville LSC Elections →

Several major staff elections have been scheduled for 2018: in Ispra/Seville, Brussels and in the EU Delegations (outside the EU).

Generation 2004 actively tried to hold these elections together with the Brussels elections and also to give some time to DG HR to modify the rules governing the staff representation so that the elections take place at the same time under the same rules and that Seville would have its own local staff committee. By the way, we are also the only organisation which came up with a comprehensive staff representation reform proposal. Continue reading Staff elections in Brussels in autumn 2018 →

Would you be concerned if the inflation rate in the EU would be again 130%? Generation 2004 is, and we are because within the Commission it seems we are in a hyperinflation mode.  And who do you think should be hit again? Those who have already suffered the most – the post 2004 and 2014 reform fellows and especially our contract staff colleagues with children!

During the 13 June 2018 Joint Management Committee of the Childhood Centre (COCEPE) meeting OIB proposed to increase the amount you would have to pay from 228.4 EUR to 500 EUR per month for each child during summer holiday and Easter holiday. Apparently 1 day of service costs 86,38 EUR (1727.6 EUR per month) and the parents’ contribution covered only 13% of it. Therefore, OIB would like to encourage you to use the services offered on the Belgium market and thus limit the 20% absence rate. Continue reading 130% increase of parental contribution for outdoor childcare! Your voice counts! →

The 2015 Brussels Local Staff Committee (LSC) elections marked a historical change in the staff representation. Generation 2004 as its winner, albeit obtaining 7 out of 27 seats, took its responsibility for the 2015-2018 mandate. Today with pride we can claim that we achieved a lot and obtained several positive results.

From the start the Local Staff Committee was on Generation 2004’s priority list. That is the reason why most of its resources, 4 out of 4.5 secondments, were assured by Generation 2004. Before the 2015-2018 term there were 13.75 seconded colleagues from different trade unions and staff associations and who decided to abandon ship after Generation 2004 took the wheel.

Together Łukasz Wardyn, the LSC President and Paola Pagliarulo, the LSC Secretary-General (both members of Generation 2004), organised over 40 plenary sessions and 44 meetings of the Bureau of the Local Staff Committee.

The main challenge was to reform the 26-year-old internal rules of procedure of the LSC as well as the reform of the Delegations of the LSC (drivers, interpreters, nurseries and childcare facilities).

Additional internal reforms were implemented in order to lay the foundation for an efficient and effective well-functioning LSC aiming at giving the staff committee back to staff. Continue reading Achievements of the Brussels Local Staff Committee during the term 2015-2018 →

Treating all staff members fairly in the European Institutions is not just a moral obligation but also a necessity to ensure maximum work performance. When one of the staff categories is treated unfairly, it results in decreasing its morale. Low morale results in decreased work performance. Which can, in turn, lead to high staff turnover.

With this in mind, Generation 2004 takes part in the comprehensive social dialogue to upgrade the legal framework for Local Agents in EU Delegations. The expected result of this social dialogue has provided significant input for reflection on the part of all social partners and has contributed to achieve a mutual understanding. This should result in better work performance and working relationships in EU Delegations. Continue reading Legal framework for Local Agents – finally fairly treated? →

As most of you probably also are, Generation 2004 is fed up of reading staff representation tracts that are at least misleading and sometimes blatantly false. For this reason we have decided to create this column. Its name, Fact Checking, will be a place where we will try to regularly debunk these claims.You may also participate and help us. How? Well, it’s simple, if you see any message or statement from any union or staff association – Generation 2004 included – and that you find falls short in the realm of truthfulness, then just point it out to us and we will analyse it, get the straight dope on it and report back to all. Finally and obviously, unless otherwise explicitly requested we will keep our source anonymous. Continue reading Fact Checking →

The R&D section at the EP has publicized its strong agreement with anti-precariousness positions taken up by Parliamentarians in a resolution . Parts of the R&D text are somewhat fuzzy due to being translated too literally from French into Franglais, so some readers may get the impression that R&D has played a major part in persuading the EP. If that is so, they have been very secretive until now.

NPS and SID jointly developed Petition 0178/2017 against Automatically Firing Contract Agents and with much appreciated support from G2004 got the endorsement of the EP’s Petitions Committee which passed the petition on to Legal Affairs Committee. In all that time, we never heard even a whisper from the R&D, so discrete that we did not know they were there. Maybe you, dear reader can help us out. Here is a video clip of the key meeting.

Send us an email if you can identify R&D members in the room.

You have probably seen several invitations to fill in a survey organised by the University of East Anglia on the EU institutions and its staff. The survey is about our organisation and 

about our working methods. It is part of an important study that provides an insight into how our organisation functions and is managed today.

Your contribution by filling in the survey would be important in order to give rich and diverse information to the researchers from all corners of the Commission. Continue reading East Anglia Survey- Deadline is 22 June! →