The situation in Sudan is undoubtedly difficult, with the ongoing conflict affecting the lives and well-being of the population. Our local agent (LA) colleagues in the delegation there are working under these conditions to serve our EU mission and values. Their commitment and resilience in the face of such challenging circumstances deserve our utmost admiration and support. Continue reading Walking away when things go wrong? Sudan
Local Agents
Ongoing difficulties for Local agents in Delegation Türkiye
Generation 2004 finds the situation for Local agents in Delegation Türkiye frustrating. We urge the administration to do the right thing: uphold the rule of law and principle of equal treatment. Abide by the outcome of the court case and comply with the instructions of the court. The pretext/excuse of a “lack of administrative” budget does not hold water. Losing a court case is not a daily operational business and therefore no institution should expect to be able to meet the financial liabilities under that business-as-usual budget item. Continue reading Ongoing difficulties for Local agents in Delegation Türkiye
Colleagues in Kyiv to return to the office II
Since our last update on our Kyiv colleagues, we have been reaching out to colleagues of all categories in Kyiv. Hardship there continues: a situation ongoing since the outbreak of war (February 2022). Kyiv has been frequently shelled, there are power cuts many hours throughout the day; there are water shortages; sirens are going off frequently. The situation on the ground is extremely unsettling and it is impossible to have predictability on how long this will continue. Continue reading Colleagues in Kyiv to return to the office II
Laissez-passer renewal unnecessarily complicated and expensive?
Generation 2004 has been contacted by many colleagues serving outside the territory of the European Union regarding the issue of renewing their service passport (‘laissez-passer’ (LP)). While for the issuing of this document (e.g. for a new start in a new country (‘posting’)) the associated travel costs are met by the services, the same is not true for the renewal. Continue reading Laissez-passer renewal unnecessarily complicated and expensive?
Promotion/reclassification exercises 2022
As happens every year, the promotion (officials) and reclassification (contract agents) exercises end with the publication of the final lists (officials and Contract Agents). The list for local agents in Delegations and Representations is normally published around 4 working days later. If your name is on the list you will be promoted/reclassified (changes will be visible in your December 2022 payslip (together with the 4.5% salary increase backdated to July 2022)) and Generation 2004 would like to warmly congratulate you. Continue reading Promotion/reclassification exercises 2022
Annual Salary Adjustment 2022 +4.5%
*Eurostat update to the Correction coefficient can be found on p. 34 of their report and it is now official on MyIntracomm (13.12.2022)*
*Update 08.11.2022 to clarify: this 4.5% is in addition to the general intermediate salary update announced in June 2022. For correction coefficient updates and SNEs please check below [1].* Almost everyone, unfortunately with the exception of our local agent (LA) colleagues, will receive a 4.5% salary increase, with retroactive effect from 1 July 2022, to maintain equality with the developments in the Member States. For more info, check the Eurostat Report on the 2022 annual update of remuneration and pensions of EU officials (28.10.2022). Continue reading Annual Salary Adjustment 2022 +4.5%
Commission to respect expected salary adjustment for some, but not for all
*Update 03.11.2022: Eurostat has published the final figures on the increase for Commission staff in its report.* Against the backdrop of increasing prices and rising inflation and during a period that is, for many staff, the summer break, the Council requested the Commission analyse how to further cut expenditure on staff, asking for a response by the end of September 2022. The Council was specifically targeting the salary updates intended to address inflation. Continue reading Commission to respect expected salary adjustment for some, but not for all
Colleagues in Kyiv to return to the office
*Update 22.12.2022 EEAS wants to increase the number of staff present in Kyiv, pushing staff evacuated to Brussels to return for 2 weeks at a time, starting in January 2023. We have asked for clarification and flexibility in this.* Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (24.02.2022), colleagues in Kyiv are to return to being present in office starting from 31.10.2022. Local Agents (LAs) are provisionally required to be present four days per week and official (generally expatriate) colleagues are required to be present for a minimum of 2 weeks (we have asked for clarification of this part of the instructions, since the plan for presence suggests that the 2 weeks can also be teleworked). For context, teleworking in Ukraine and abroad was made available also for LAs by Admin decision (2022)20, initially for a period of 3 months. Continue reading Colleagues in Kyiv to return to the office
Inflation and rising energy cost impact in delegations
Generation 2004 is closely following the financial impact of inflation and rising energy costs to all staff in 144 Delegations around the world. We noted that especially for Delegations which are paid in local currencies (whether legally or not, we hear you Turkey!), colleagues are severely harmed by growing inflationary pressure and are experiencing deteriorating purchasing power. To illustrate (this is not an exhaustive list, information is based on available internet figures of inflation statistics [*] and the latest available information of salary review status) with a few examples: Continue reading Inflation and rising energy cost impact in delegations
Preserving acquired rights of Local agents – empty promises?
Generation 2004 has come across different cases where Local Agents (LAs) have indeed lost their acquired rights after signing up to the new conditions of employment (a loss of rights was mentioned as a distant possibility in 2020). First and foremost, Generation 2004 does not agree with the approach of setting the deadline for LAs to sign the new contract which was before all the annexes of the contract were in place. The national law reference guides were not provided to colleagues at the time of signing the contract and some of the implementing decisions (i.e. the assessment procedure, guidance policies to assist Delegations in exercising their duty of care towards the local staff) are even still missing today. Continue reading Preserving acquired rights of Local agents – empty promises?
