Staff Regulations Reform

Housing costs in Luxembourg: recognition?

Cost of living Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Newsletter - 2021-12-16, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

*update 01.04.2022 Corporate Management Board meeting of 30 March 2022 – Flash note: ‘12 actions are being proposed to increase the attractiveness of Luxembourg as place of employment’*

Colleagues in Luxembourg are facing today (well … for over a decade really) house prices that are in no way comparable to those in Brussels, although they receive the same salaries. In the words of DG HR: “This […] has been subject to criticism by some staff members whose place of employment is Luxembourg, who have argued that it does not properly reflect differences in the cost of living between Brussels and Luxembourg.” Continue reading Housing costs in Luxembourg: recognition? →

Assistants (ASTs) FAQs

Assistants, FAQs, Junior Professionals Programme, Newsletter - 2021-12-02, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Regulations Reform, workplace bullying and harassment Print This Post

Here is the presentation from today’s meeting with assistants (ASTs)  and below you’ll find an extended version of a frequently asked questions (FAQs) based on the questions asked.

If there’s something here you can add to, you’d like more information on or that you’d like to challenge (we’re open to all input!) then please get in touch: we’re here for you !  Thanks very much to all who attended! Continue reading Assistants (ASTs) FAQs →

Stop the phasing out of the AST function group!

Assistants, Newsletter - 2021-10-08, Newsletter - 2021-10-12, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

A brief history of assistants, secretaries and clerks in the European Commission

Since 2018 Generation 2004 has been warning of and working against the phasing out of the assistants (AST) function group (FG) and the placing of all AST staff in ‘transition’. To better understand the issues at stake, we need to briefly examine the history and evolution of assistants, secretaries and clerks (AST/SC) in the European Commission.  Continue reading Stop the phasing out of the AST function group! →

Medical reservation = discrimination against persons with disabilities (long read)

disability and special needs, Health, Newsletter - 2021-09-20, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

The medical reservation rules and their implementation:  how well do they fit with the prohibition of discrimination against persons with disabilities and the current HR drive for diversity and inclusion [1]?

The pre-recruitment medical: excluding those with disabilities?

Continue reading Medical reservation = discrimination against persons with disabilities (long read) →

Stated aims and reality: AST/SC

Junior Professionals Programme, Newsletter - 2020-07-01, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

Thanks to all of you who attended our secretaries and clerks (AST/SC) conference, the issues raised and discussed there are explained in detail in our original article.

For those of you who haven’t done so already, please sign our petition [1] to improve the opportunities available to our AST/SC colleages: Continue reading Stated aims and reality: AST/SC →

AST/SC conference Tuesday 22 June

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We will be glad to have you at our AST/SC conference on 22 June 2021 from 12:30 to 14:00 held via Teams (here is the link).

You may wish to read our article Stop the AST/SC exploitation NOW and show your support for our petition to the European Parliament to help our AST/SC colleagues.

Continue reading AST/SC conference Tuesday 22 June →

Stop the AST/SC exploitation NOW

Assistants, Junior Professionals Programme, Newsletter - 2021-06-16, Pensions, Petition, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

The secretarial and clerical assistants (AST/SC) function group (FG/’GF’) was introduced by the 2013 revision of the Staff Regulations (SR) that entered into force 01.01.2014.

The established ‘dinosaurs’ trade unions and staff associations (OSPs) did not oppose the creation of the AST/SC category in 2013. Now they hypocritically claim that they care about the AST/SC staff and want to help them. What they really care about is getting the AST/SC votes in the forthcoming staff representation elections. Continue reading Stop the AST/SC exploitation NOW →

New teleworking scheme: longer working days and more micromanagement?

Childcare, Health, IT kit for telework, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2021-04-28, Open Plan Office, Staff Regulations Reform, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

During our 13 months of compulsory 100% teleworking for almost all of us, Generation 2004 has submitted to DG HR countless requests to start a dialogue on the conditions under which staff were and are expected to work from home – both in the current force majeure global-pandemic situation and when staff are able to go back to the office. DG HR finally reached out to the trade unions and staff associations (OSPs) for a social dialogue meeting focusing on teleworking (16 April) which we very much hope to be the first of many such meetings. Continue reading New teleworking scheme: longer working days and more micromanagement? →

Local agents update

Local Agents, Newsletter - 2020-12-18, Outside the Union, Staff Regulations Reform, Working conditions Print This Post

Implementation of the new package for local agents (LAs)

While the administration commits to get the large number of EU Delegation exceptions (‘derogations’) ready for a decision by February 2021, it means the entire package will not be available for LAs to decide until then. In this latest update to this ongoing issue, Generation 2004 urges all LA colleagues to ensure that they fully understand the entire package before they make their decision as it is likely to be irreversible. Continue reading Local agents update →

Teleworking from abroad: Survey results are out

Newsletter - 2020-12-18, Staff Regulations Reform, Surveys, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

Generation 2004 asked you for your opinion on this topic in a 10-question survey over 5 weeks October-November 2020 and 1 500 of you responded. The short answer to our question of whether you want to be able to telework from abroad is a resounding ‘YES!’: 93% (1 393) of those who responded would like to have that option available.

Though it must be noted that there are several different versions of ‘yes’ proposed and it was possible to select more than one of them: Yes, for a limited period like summer, Christmas etc./Yes, in exceptional situations like COVID‑19./Yes, permanently.

Continue reading Teleworking from abroad: Survey results are out →