Staff Regulations Reform

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

*Update 23.10.2024 please check the disability section in our list of resources, if there’s anything you’d like to add there, get in touch.**Update 29.11.2023, we sent a note to Ms Ingestad on this topic but forgot to upload it here. Here it is now.*

Original article: 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

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

Stop the AST/SC exploitation NOW

*Update 10.11.2024 the European Court of Auditors, Special report 24/2024: EU Civil service–A flexible employment framework, insufficiently used to improve workforce management, 2024 confirms much of  what we said below in 2021 about the artificial restrictions in place for AST/SC staff and about the disproportionately slow career: Continue reading Stop the AST/SC exploitation NOW

New teleworking scheme: longer working days and more micromanagement?

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

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

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

Do you want to be able to telework from outside your place of employment?

You have shown that teleworking is possible, but do you want more of it and are you being consulted? [1]

Article 20 of the staff regulations stipulates that ‘An official shall reside either in the place where he is employed or at no greater distance therefrom as is compatible with the proper performance of his duties. The official shall notify the Appointing Authority of his address and inform it immediately of any change of address.’

Therefore, the outcome of any future teleworking decisions might affect us all. These choices could  impact everything from the multiannual financial framework (MFF) to the European Green Deal, to all 6 pillars of the new HR strategy to the money you take home every month: the 16 % expatriation allowance / 4% foreign residence allowance and potentially the coefficient (if any) that applies to your salary.   Continue reading Do you want to be able to telework from outside your place of employment?

A little reminder why Generation 2004 MUST exist

The 2004 and 2014 staff regulations reforms introduced discrimination towards colleagues hired in the post 2004 generation, most of them from the – at the time – ten new Member States, which later got to 12 and eventually 13. These reforms introduced many changes affecting a wide range of working conditions for these newer colleagues while not touching most of the benefits of the already existing civil servants. Noteworthy are:
Continue reading A little reminder why Generation 2004 MUST exist

We said it all along; now it is official: EU officials unhappy

For several years, Generation2004 has been pointing out that something is not working well with how EU institutions are treating their own staff.  Along the way, we have consistently proposed constructive solution to reverse the path towards unhappiness of staff. However, it looks like the “establishment”, with support of some staff organisations doesn’t see the same and proceeds with its own agenda serving personal interests and personal egos.  We believe however, that staff should be treated differently and, most importantly, it should be listened to. Needless to say, but most of our claims have been disregarded throughout time. Continue reading We said it all along; now it is official: EU officials unhappy