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
Local Agents
Annual Salary Adjustment 2022 +4.5%
*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
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?
Hybrid working guidelines for DGs and Delegations, what should we expect?
Generation 2004 firmly believes that the EU institutions should focus on impact and output rather than the means of work. When the pandemic has shown that, for many roles, teleworking can be as effective as office presence (and is considered equivalent), why does the EU appear to prefer to go back in time? Why burden colleagues with again finding balance, having to revamp their schedules and routines with the associated stresses in order to be present in their place of employment rather than letting them continue to telework in peace, efficiently, effectively, and happily? Continue reading Hybrid working guidelines for DGs and Delegations, what should we expect?
Prioritize internal Local Agents recruitment in EU Delegations
As noticed by many colleagues in Delegations, the recruitment procedures for vacant posts for Local Agents are advertised internally and externally at the same time. One cannot avoid asking: Why would management search by default for candidates externally, instead of first providing a path of career growth to its existing talent?
We believe that unless a Delegation is extremely small, there is always the possibility to fill the post by internal candidates. Continue reading Prioritize internal Local Agents recruitment in EU Delegations
Deadline 31.03.2022: LA employment-conditions reform
The latest deadline extension for Local agents to decide whether they would like to accept the new Local Agent conditions expires 31 March 2022. The conditions of employment are available for colleagues who were already in service since December 2020.
Continue reading Deadline 31.03.2022: LA employment-conditions reform
Generation 2004 requests assistance be provided to Kyiv Delegation colleagues
Upon request, teleworking in Ukraine and abroad has been made available also for local agents by the latest Admin decision (2022)20. For the time being this arrangement will be for 3 months, we will closely monitor the situation and the requests for extensions where applicable and necessary.
Since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (24.02.2022) Generation2004 has actively been in touch with local agents and we are aware that all expat colleagues have been successfully evacuated to locations outside the country. For local agents, Generation 2004 requested the following: Continue reading Generation 2004 requests assistance be provided to Kyiv Delegation colleagues
