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DG TRANSLATION: Kids of a lesser god or just the preview of the EC of the future?

Contract Agents, Newsletter #22 – May 2017, z Newsletter article Print This Post

Since 2004 the European Union has massively increased in population, number of Member States and languages, and has further expanded its activities in various domains too. In order to cope with this new challenge, the Commission’s administration has increased its staff albeit not in direct proportion to the population increase, thus striking a wise balance between new duties and the budgetary possibilities.

The budgetary effort, though, took a very heavy toll on all newcomers, those who now must sadly bear the labels Generation 2004 and Generation 2014 staff. Our salary conditions, pension perspectives, career structure, precariousness of working status and very reasonable fringe pre-2004 benefits were affected adversely by two subsequent reforms of the staff regulations in 2004 and 2014. Continue reading DG TRANSLATION: Kids of a lesser god or just the preview of the EC of the future? →

CA Dossier: Is the current situation sustainable?

Contract Agents, Newsletter #22 – May 2017, z Newsletter article Print This Post

As mentioned in our communication sent at the beginning of April, Generation 2004 is disappointed by the outcome of the Conciliation meeting that took place on 6 April to discuss the General Implementing Rules of the staff regulations for Contract Agents. You might wonder why we give so much importance to these negotiations. After all, one could argue that they are only about implementing rules, not about the future of the EU civil service. However, we do see a direct link here, because we sense this is part of a silent revolution that replaces more and more permanent officials with Contract Agents so that according to our estimates by 2030 non-permanent staff with precarious contracts will represent more than half of all the staff of the institutions. The most striking data about this creeping change come from the annual reports of our sickness scheme (the latest one covering the year 2015 – available on demand). Continue reading CA Dossier: Is the current situation sustainable? →

Outrage over EC approaching 1000 senior experts/senior assistants’ nominations – widening career gap and waste of precious administration budget

Newsletter #21 – Feb 2017, Promotions, Staff Categories, z Newsletter article Print This Post

*Update 07.05.2025:  We recognise that we’ve changed our view on senior experts. While we have criticised this category in the past (as below), we now see the value in not pushing staff into managing people as the only way forward and similarly to allow those already managing people to step away from that to do something different.

Recognition for Senior Experts: Addressing the systemic neglect of senior experts in promotion exercises. These colleagues are often overlooked in favour of those who manage people, contrary to staff regulations that view managerial and expert careers as equal. (Manifesto 2024)

Continue reading Outrage over EC approaching 1000 senior experts/senior assistants’ nominations – widening career gap and waste of precious administration budget →

Growing inequalities in the Institutions

Administrators, Assistants, Contract Agents, Newsletter #21 – Feb 2017, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform, z Newsletter article Print This Post

Oxfam, the well-known international confederation of charitable organizations has recently published its annual report on social inequalities. What about inequalities in the EU institutions? Since the infamous Kinnock reform of 2004, inequalities have greatly increased in the EU civil service. Before the Kinnock reform, careers of non-management staff were limited to the equivalent of AD12.

For a decade, between 2004 and 2013, this upper limit became AD14. The 2014 staff regulations re-introduced the AD12 cap, but in the meantime, more than 2000 ADs had managed to sneak in to the AD13 grade and another 500 to the AD14 grade, most of them without taking managerial responsibilities. Moreover, the 2014 Staff Regulations did not put an end to what could be perceived as an overly generous scheme: Continue reading Growing inequalities in the Institutions →

How the promotion system works, and why you might be disappointed with this year’s promotion exercise

Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

As every year, the decision of who to promote or not will be largely driven by a set of crude quotas supplied to DGs by DG HR. Because of the clumsy way quotas are calculated many hard working colleagues who have performed well will be left scratching their heads, disappointed at their lack of promotion.

To explain the problem, let us visualise two different DGS with 6 colleagues at each DG of the same grade, where the grade in question has a promotion rate set by the staff regulations of 33% (e.g. AST3->AST4, AD8->AD9, etc.) implying an average promotion rate of 3 years: Continue reading How the promotion system works, and why you might be disappointed with this year’s promotion exercise →

General Implementation Provisions for Contract Agents: a compromise which leads NOWHERE

Contract Agents, Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, z Newsletter article Print This Post

The saga of the discussions on the General Implementing Provisions (GIP) for Contract Agents (CA) seems to have lasted for ages. Generation 2004 has followed it for you in a number of articles (see here and here).

The culmination came some weeks ago at a meeting of the social dialogue chaired by VP Georgieva (concertation politique in French) – one of her last actions before her departure to the World Bank.

Generation 2004 expressed a position that is crystal clear. The so-called compromise is NOT acceptable to us. It fails to address our main concern: the new initial classification grid for CAs which we see as the core of the problem. Continue reading General Implementation Provisions for Contract Agents: a compromise which leads NOWHERE →

Promotions: adapted Article 90 template available in January

Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

Every year G2004 provides support to members but also colleagues irrespectively of their trade union affiliation in defending their rights in the framework of promotions exercise. We congratulate everyone who received their welldeserved promotion this year. For those of you who did not find their names on the list of promoted officials for 2016 we offer our support for an article 90 appeal. During this year’s exercise G2004 representatives in the Promotions Committees deposited an objection note (for AD and AST) which will give additional factual weight to the claims of all who decide to launch an appeal. Our new adapted template will be available in January.

What you don’t know surely can hurt you!

Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, z Newsletter article Print This Post

DG HR is desperately trying to cut costs… Nothing new.
But for those of you who anticipate the usual enrolment message for spring language courses this may come as a surprise – NO MESSAGE this time.

The enrolment has started in cautious silence, hoping that as many colleagues as possible will miss the deadline to introduce their request for language training before they leave for Christmas… and it will be too late when they are back as the end date for registration is 8 January 2017.

A suspicious mind could also ask why the new learning platform (to replace Syslog) is introduced during this same period. Even if you decide to enrol – there is a high risk that you will get lost in the new system.

Sorry to have once again disrupted DG HR’s plan.

Generation 2004 is here to give you all the information you need. This is what you have to do if you wish to enrol for the standard language courses February – June 2017:

  • From MyIntracomm Top Tools go to EU learn.
  • Open Catalogue menu, search for Interinstitutional catalogue, then Languages and country knowledge. Find your location (Brussels, Luxembourg, etc.) and the language you need.
  • And do this before 8 January 2017!

Luxembourg Mathematics: 25 = 70

Features, Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, z Newsletter article Print This Post

The Election of the new Local Staff Committee of Luxembourg (LSC) took place at the end of November with a turn-out of almost 70%. Generation 2004 scored some 18.8% of votes, which translates into 2 seats out of 20. We would like to thank all those who voted for us. Despite the increase in the number of lists that were presented to the elections this time, we are the only list that has maintained our score achieved 3 years ago. As a result, we still send two representatives (full member and deputy) to the Central Staff Committee, and we will keep roughly the same representation in the Joint Committees (e.g. promotion committees). Continue reading Luxembourg Mathematics: 25 = 70 →