Secretaries and clerks

The first staff regulation reform: a new underclass (long read)

Assistants, Contract Agents, Newsletter - 2024-12-13, Pensions, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform, Temporary Agents Print This Post

*Update 15.01.2025, Here’s our December note on the technical difficulties in application process in a call for expression of interest for the internal competition JPP14 (French and German as language 2).*

*Update 20.12.2024, Here’s our Note to HR on European Court of Auditors Special report: European Court of Auditors, 2024, Special report 24/2024: EU Civil service–A flexible employment framework, insufficiently used to improve workforce management* Continue reading The first staff regulation reform: a new underclass (long read) →

Time to put an end to the career blockage of AST/SC staff

Administrators, Assistants, Education, EPSO, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2024-11-15, Secretaries and clerks Print This Post

*Update 21.11.2024 check out the European Court of Auditors, 2024, Special report 24/2024: EU Civil service – A flexible employment framework, insufficiently used to improve workforce management: it concludes that ‘…the institutions do not focus on imbalances in the SC and AST function groups in their analysis, and concentrate instead on the AD group, and in particular the starting grades (AD5-AD8).‘ (P. 51) Check out their corresponding chart on p.51. Why on Earth focus efforts on part of a function group?[*] Where’s the global vision? Why tackle the hard stuff?* Continue reading Time to put an end to the career blockage of AST/SC staff →

One step forward in our fight: internal competition for AST & AST/SC (+training offer)

Administrators, Assistants, Education, EPSO, Events, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2024-02-28, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents, Training Print This Post

*Update 23.05.2024, COM/AST3/2024 competition exam date will be June 5, 2024. Enrolment on COM AST3 training with follow up sessions are closed. Registration for the self-study option is still open.  *Update 02.05.2024 COM/AST3/2024 indicative planning has been updated, but still not precise enough to allow for holiday planning. Continue reading One step forward in our fight: internal competition for AST & AST/SC (+training offer) →

More missing contributions for a pension transfer-in

Assistants, Contract Agents, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Pensions, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents Print This Post

While it is possible to take your pensions contributions from national systems and put them into the pension scheme of the European Union institutions (PSEUI), this is often a long-drawn-out process and it can be rather opaque. We recently highlighted the general exclusion of Member State ‘gifted’ contributions (e.g. covering times of military service or caring duties) from transfers-in and of a failed court case to try to recover the contributions where their inclusion made no difference. Now we cover a further potential complication which is delays in Member States doing their part in this process. Continue reading More missing contributions for a pension transfer-in →

Please take action: European Parliament petition in support of Contract Agents

Assistants, Contract Agents, Newsletter - 2024-01-08, Petition, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents Print This Post

*Update 29.01.2024, the petition has been closed with no clear follow-up. We have contacted the Parliament for clarification.* Original article: Please sign the European Parliament (EP) Contract Agent petition: let’s make some noise!  Petition No 0117/2021 has been on the go since 2021 and needs your input to keep moving! Let’s make a push in this, a brand new year, to get as many signatures as possible! The issues listed are as relevant today as they were when the petition was first opened: there has been no meaningful improvement. Please don’t let this action disappear through lack of support, we need momentum! This petition is open to everyone everywhere: let’s show our solidarity! Please register at the EP website and sign the petition there. Share this petition anywhere you can, we need to get those numbers up!

Continue reading Please take action: European Parliament petition in support of Contract Agents →

Echoes of unhappiness

Assistants, Certification, Contract Agents, EPSO, Internal Competitions, Local Agents, Newsletter - 2023-12-13, Promotions, reclassification, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories, Temporary Agents, Training Print This Post

*Update 08.03.2024: do women have fewer promotable tasks i.e. are women spending time and energy on less-valued jobs? What are your thoughts?*

Original article: In our Newsletter (10.10.2023), we announced a survey for assistant (AST), secretary/clerk (AST/SC), Contract Agent (CA) or Temporary agent (TA). The survey is now closed, and we thank the 1581 colleagues who contributed. We present here our preliminary results and will follow up in more detail in a later edition of our newsletter. The majority of respondents were ASTs and CAs, female colleagues, mainly from 40- to 60-year-old, based in Brussels/Commission.  

Continue reading Echoes of unhappiness →

Training offer for external competitions and certification

Administrators, Assistants, Certification, Education, EPSO, Events, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2023-12-13, Newsletter - 2024-01-08, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents, Training Print This Post

*Update 15.01.2024 additional dates for Certification dates added below.* Original article: we offer (in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos) online training to assist you in preparing for external (EPSO) competitions and certification.

For AD7 competition, you can benefit  from a special discount if you are a member of  Generation 2004. Before you register, ask for the special discount code to our secretariat.

You can find the video recording and the PowerPoint presentation of the free webinar here.

Continue reading Training offer for external competitions and certification →

Training offer for certification & internal competitions

Administrators, Assistants, Certification, Education, EPSO, Events, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2023-12-01, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents, Training Print This Post

*Update 15.12.2023, check out our 2024 training.* Generation 2004, in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos, is offering online trainings and webinars to assist you in preparing for the Certification exercise and internal competitions.

There is a special price for all participants to  the certification  training.  The talent screener  webinar is free for all staff.

You can find the video recording and the PowerPoint presentation of the free webinar here.

Continue reading Training offer for certification & internal competitions →

Breaking Barriers: AST/SC colleagues may change function group?

Assistants, Brussels, EPSO, Newsletter - 2023-10-10, Professional mobility, Promotions, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories Print This Post

*Update 04.01.2024: The AST1 and 3 competitions which will be open to AST/SC colleagues originally promised for December is now for January. Follow all internal competitions here.* Original article: While we are thrilled to announce that our efforts have contributed to the announcement by DG HR, that in future, colleagues might have the opportunity to change function groups through internal competitions, it remains to be seen whether this inclusiveness is genuine or something which exists in theory only.  The wording of the announcement is for movement ‘within each function group’ but it does also mention specialised competitions which might include a ‘wider mix of staff categories and function groups’; a measured success.

Continue reading Breaking Barriers: AST/SC colleagues may change function group? →

Your career matters to us – Answer the Survey & help us help you!

Assistants, Contract Agents, Newsletter - 2023-10-10, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents, Working conditions Print This Post

Are you an assistant (AST), secretary/clerk (AST/SC)[1], Contract Agent (CA) or Temporary agent (TA)?
As the representative body for all staff, it is our mission to ensure that you have the information you need to make informed choices and to ensure that your expertise, roles, and opportunities for growth are recognised and valued in a fair and equitable manner. 

Continue reading Your career matters to us – Answer the Survey & help us help you! →