Social Dialogue

AST & AST-SC staff: ECA Report Highlights Long-Standing Career Challenges

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*Update 22.11.2024, thanks to all of you who attended the event today. Here is the presentation, our AST FAQ and our summary of AST/SC issues.*

Original article: The recent report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) brings renewed attention to longstanding issues affecting AST and AST-SC staff within the EU institutions. This external assessment validates many concerns that Generation 2004, as an organisation, has persistently raised.

Continue reading AST & AST-SC staff: ECA Report Highlights Long-Standing Career Challenges →

TAXUD’s Alarming Decline in Staff Well-being: A Call for Immediate Action

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*Update 06.06.2024: our efforts have paid off.*
The recently published 2023 staff survey results paint a bleak picture of the state of affairs within DG Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD), particularly concerning the prevention of psychological harassment (‘bullying’ or ‘mobbing’) and sexual harassment. Continue reading TAXUD’s Alarming Decline in Staff Well-being: A Call for Immediate Action →

High time for more flexible teleworking, also from abroad!

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The implementation of the Decision on Working Time and Hybrid Working (WTHW) was evaluated by DG HR at the end of 2023 and, while targeted actions are now expected, there will be no big revision, the promised flexibility is still one-sided. Generation 2004 was pleased to notice that the evaluation is overall very positive and that many managers also appreciated the enhanced flexibility of WTHW and made use themselves of the possibilities to better reconcile their private and professional lives. Continue reading High time for more flexible teleworking, also from abroad! →

Please use your 10 days of teleworking from outside the place of employment!

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*Update 19.10.2023 use of TWA days figures added.* *Update 11.10.2023 the section on the IDOC report was clarified.*

Original article: If you still haven’t used up all your days of teleworking from anywhere (TWA)[*] do not forget to file the request in Sysper as soon as possible. Here’s how to do it. We know of no plans to extend the validity of the 2023 days beyond the end-of-year deadline (the 2021 days could be used until 15.01.2022). Please at least request your full 2023 quota of days, even if you’re not 100% sure that you’ll use them: HR is looking at how many days are left over. Continue reading Please use your 10 days of teleworking from outside the place of employment! →

Grange childcare follow up

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*Update 06.12.2023: here are building closures and alternatives in Brussels, but we don’t (yet) see equivalent information for other places of work e.g. Grange or Luxembourg. Remember you have the right to work from the office 100% if you so wish (and you are prepared for the temperatures there).* Continue reading Grange childcare follow up →

End of the solidarity levy?

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Every once in a while, and with increasing frequency in the run-up to its stated end date, we here at Generation 2004 receive a request for clarification about the solidarity levy. This ostensibly temporary measure is 6% of the basic salary (but 7% for those in AD15(2) and above: here are the salary scales for your to check that impact).  

Continue reading End of the solidarity levy? →

Grange childcare: loss of trust!

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The European Commission has many sites, some bigger ones, like Brussels, Luxembourg and Ispra, some smaller ones like the smaller JRC sites (Karlsruhe, Geel, Seville) or the satellite site in Grange, Ireland (technically part of Brussels) – home to directorate F (‘Health and food audits and analysis’) of DG SANTE and some colleagues from DGT – not to forget the support staff from the different offices. Continue reading Grange childcare: loss of trust! →

Follow-up survey on teleworking, hybrid working and TWA

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*Update 29.01.2024: there are no geographical limitations on where to do TWA: see Article 11(1) of the WTHW Decision.* We are unable to find any geographical restrictions on travelling with EU IT equipment. We have asked DIGIT COMM for clarification.* Update 15.11.2023 HR has published an evaluation of the working time and hybrid working decision.**Update 09.08.2023 please declare the TWA days you use! See footnote [*] for how and why.* Original article: We ask you to participate in a follow-up survey about teleworking, hybrid working and teleworking from outside the place of employment (TWA) in order to make a comparison with the answers you provided to our two original surveys: Working time and teleworking (and the results) and Survey on teleworking from abroad. Continue reading Follow-up survey on teleworking, hybrid working and TWA →

Meeting the Head of Cabinet: it’s all about the money

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*Update 09.10.2023 please participate in the Commission survey on the environmental impact of teleworking: deadline 11.10.2023. These emmissions must also be counted in greening the Commission!* Original article: Here are the issues we  raised at the OSPs meeting with David Mueller, the Head of Commissioner Hahn’s (budget and administration) Cabinet (15.03.2023). We are all aware that we are reasonably consistently in a series of difficult situations which require additional financial resources and which put the EU Budget under pressure. But we did get an earworm during that meeting: Continue reading Meeting the Head of Cabinet: it’s all about the money →

Council request to further reduce spending on staff II

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*Updated 07.08.2023 in response to feedback, thanks! See footnotes*

Original article: Generation 2004 is closely following this latest Council request to further reducing spending on staff (Budget 2024: Council agrees on its guidelines for the establishment of next year’s EU budget, 14.03.2023, see quote below). The Commission appears to have provisionally lost 75 posts, the only institution to have lost any posts (Draft General Budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Working Document Part II, 2022, p. 67) Continue reading Council request to further reduce spending on staff II →