Staff Categories

Why a job description is so important for a CA career?

Contract Agents, Newsletter #29 - Jun 2018, z Newsletter article

…My Head of Unit always told me that my job description is not very important for my CA’s career, because it should only form the basis of my job specification. As a result, my job description presents a broad, general, and written statement of a specific job, based on the findings of a job analysis. It only includes generic duties, purpose, responsibilities, scope, and general working conditions of a job along with the job’s title, but never my effective, often additional, performed tasks…

Generation 2004 offers Contract Agents two arguments that highlight the importance of a good job description: Continue reading Why a job description is so important for a CA career? →

The pink bubble of wishful thinking and the truth about AST career future

Assistants, Certification, Newsletter #28 - Apr 2018, z Newsletter article

On 8 March Generation 2004 organized a lunchtime conference dedicated to the career prospects for AST colleagues. The date was chosen deliberately as a reminder for the predominantly female gender ratio in the AST category. And while at a parallel event organized by DG HR on the same day, colleagues were presented a pink-optimistic picture about the career prospects for females in the Commission, we spoke facts (see presentation here): since 2004 there was a deliberate policy of juniorisation of recruitment with a consequent even more deliberate framing of the recruited in the AST category. Continue reading The pink bubble of wishful thinking and the truth about AST career future →

NEW Appraisal of contract agents “3b”…. What is it for???

Contract Agents, Newsletter #28 - Apr 2018, z Newsletter article

*Update 10.04.2024 CA 3b are more than half of all contract Agent staff at the Commission. Check the figures below[1].* Original article: How staff performance is managed in an organization determines to a large extent the success or failure of this organization. Indeed, a central reason for the use of performance appraisals is to improve staff’s performance. Appraisals can be valuable tools for communication with staff about how the job performance matches organizational expectations, and thus can contribute to an organization’s higher effectiveness. The other fundamental justification for performance appraisal includes Talent Management policy as a basis for any employment decision like promotions, terminations or transfers. Continue reading NEW Appraisal of Contract Agents “3b”…. What is it for??? →

AST Conference: A life of an AST: is there light in the tunnel?

Assistants, Events, Newsletter #27 - Feb 2018, z Newsletter article

On 8 March Generation 2004 organised a lunchtime conference for AST colleagues. It consisted in a detailed presentation and answering many questions from the audience. The two main questions discussed were:

  • What is the truth about AST recruitment in the Commission since 2004?
  • What are the realistic prospects for career development for “ASTs (forever) in transition”?

This lunch-time conference is the forth large public event organised by Generation 2004 after the Pensions Conference organised in February 2018.

The lunch-time conference brought together a large number of attendees in Brussels and several hundred participants from many sites through web-streaming.

Continue reading AST Conference: A life of an AST: is there light in the tunnel? →

Contract Agents (follow up)

Contract Agents, Newsletter #26 - Jan 2018, z Newsletter article

Generation 2004 has participated actively together with other Staff Organisations in the recent Social Dialogues concerning Contract Agents (technical consultation on the new general implementing provisions = GIPs and administrative consultation on the unemployment benefit scheme).

In parallel, Generation 2004 has closely monitored the quantitative evolution of the various staff categories. In particular, we don’t agree with the increasing number of contractual staff members used for permanent tasks in the EU public service. According to our last CA conference and individual consultations with contract staff, this practice seems to be more and more common, it is even judged by most to have become an everyday practice in the EU Institutions. Continue reading Contract Agents (follow up) →

Contract Agents Conference

Contract Agents, Events, Newsletter #25 – Nov 2017, z Newsletter article

A conference was organised by Generation 2004 on 14 November to discuss Contract Agent’s function groups and work conditions following the adoption of the new GIPs for CAs (2017). Continue reading Contract Agents Conference →

Report on the social dialogue at the Commission

Contract Agents, Newsletter #25 – Nov 2017, z Newsletter article

Commissioner Oettinger met the staff representation on 20 October. Apart from a surprisingly long intervention of the Commissioner on the departure of Mr. Kessler from OLAF, the meeting was essentially business as usual. Generation 2004 maintained its request that the draft decision of the Commission on the so-called external activities be amended so that CA3bs quickly receive the green light allowing them to take up a new job outside of the institutions after the end of their contract (currently, CA3bs are supposed to ask for permission 1 month before accepting a new job; Continue reading Report on the social dialogue at the Commission →

You are a Contract Agent? Share your experience with us!

Contract Agents, Newsletter #24 - Sep 2017, z Newsletter article

“In a Union of equals, there can be no second class workers. Workers should earn the same pay for the same work in the same place.” J.C. Juncker, State of the Union address, 13 September 2017.

Contract Agents account for more than a quarter of the European Institution’s population and are increasingly the victims of budgetary restrictions. Limited access to decent employment opportunities in the Institutions, insufficient job security and unfair working conditions are now well documented.

However, what is less documented is that there is a growing gap between the duties performed by CAs and their functional group. Continue reading You are a Contract Agent? Share your experience with us! →

Wind in our sails, but in what condition is our ship?

Contract Agents, Newsletter #24 - Sep 2017, z Newsletter article

A wind of optimism is blowing in the EU institutions. Some are beginning to argue that the added-value of the EU has become clearer following the events of the past 18 months. Indeed, recent electoral rounds in France and in the Netherlands have been less negative than expected with respect to the future of the EU. The outcome of the elections in Germany is perceived by some observers as less encouraging. However, it is clear that the eurosceptics will not prevail there any time soon. Unfortunately, the main issues that affect the staff are still very unclear and may be affected by a number of events.

Obviously colleagues who happen to be British citizen are worried by the lack of clarity on their future. The only consolation at the moment is that the Belgian authorities are beginning to realise that EU officials of UK citizenship need assistance. The Brussels Commissioner (not one of our Commissioners but an official appointed by the Brussels region to provide administrative assistance to the expat community in Brussels) organised an info session last June and provides some advice on its website. It is useful to go through this advice if you are a UK citizen working in Brussels. Continue reading Wind in our sails, but in what condition is our ship? →

Social Dialogue on “External Activities”

Contract Agents, Features, Newsletter #23 – Jun 2017, Staff Categories, Temporary Agents, z Newsletter article

Update 21.02.2022: Check out the rules as they stand in 2022.

The Commission is currently revising its implementing rules on so-called “external activities”. These rules are meant to prevent conflicts of interest, either real or perceived, when active or former EU officials take on jobs or other duties outside of the institutions. Generation 2004 has been the most vocal staff organisation during the negotiations to denounce the fact that the rules proposed by the Commission make no distinctions between staff categories and between precarious staff and permanent staff: whether you are a former Director General looking for activities to keep yourself busy during retirement or a CA3b who is being kicked-out of the Institutions because your contract has reached the 6-year cliff makes no difference in DG HR’s mind. Continue reading social dialogue on “External Activities” →