*Update 06.11.2025 here is the link to the retirement info available on staff matters.* Original article: If you are on a time-limited contract and reaching the end of your time in the institutions or if you decide to leave even if in a permanent type of statutory link, you should spend some time reflecting about your acquired pension rights. In principle, there are three scenarios to consider. Continue reading Transfer-out of pension rights when leaving the institutions
Working conditions
New HR Strategy – Modernisation or opportunism? The European Green Deal and the multi-annual financial framework (MFF)
Contrary to what we might expect during the COVID-19 health crisis, DG HR is moving forward with its “new HR strategy” regardless. Although for Generation 2004 it is unclear what the concrete improvements of the previous HR reform launched by Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva were: the most visible outcome was the creation of centralised AMCs. According to DG HR, the past staff surveys should provide quite a good understanding of that HR reform: now that is an innovative way to do an assessment of a policy, one could say. Continue reading New HR Strategy – Modernisation or opportunism? The European Green Deal and the multi-annual financial framework (MFF)
COVID-19: Return to office put on hold
Generation 2004 continues to closely monitor the developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on our institution and our working conditions. In the last two weeks we have had two meetings with DG HR to discuss all the issues related to the pandemic and the way forward. Generation 2004 stated that the return should only happen when the pandemic situation improved: when there was a lower possibility of contagion. Continue reading COVID-19: Return to office put on hold
New teleworking guidelines and teleworking from abroad: here we go again!
In our July newsletter we informed you of our actions to guarantee fair and consistent application of the new teleworking guidelines throughout the Commission, especially as regards the possibility of 2 weeks of teleworking from outside the place of employment [1].
We wrote a note to DG FISMA concerning their overly strict interpretation of the rules, and received a positive reply to our request.
However, we decided to ask for your feedback – both in that article and through an email sent to all our members – on the procedures in place where you are and on the outcome of your request.
As a result, we were flooded with messages stressing the very different procedures and layers of approvals necessary to be granted these 2 weeks of teleworking in different DGs and different parts and sites of the Commission. Continue reading New teleworking guidelines and teleworking from abroad: here we go again!
Indomitable spirit. Taking on the institutions and winning!
*Update 07.01.2025 Please read all you can about how probation is supposed to work and get in touch with us as soon as you can where there are difficulties, the sooner, the better!*
Original article: Probation reports cannot and should not be used for promotion purposes. Continue reading Indomitable spirit. Taking on the institutions and winning!
Modernisation of the Local Agents working conditions
For over 3 years all trade unions and EU delegation staff committees have been working with the administration to finalise the exercise of modernising Local Agent (LA) working conditions.
Although Generation 2004 participated in two rounds of social dialogue meetings in the EEAS in May, the decision was however finalised without our involvement as written in our article “Nihil de nobis, sine nobis!”. Although the power to adopt the last three implementing rules was delegated to Continue reading Modernisation of the Local Agents working conditions
A national-insurance card for colleagues in the Netherlands
If you work for the Commission in the Netherlands, you might have had some problems in the past with your health care[*], due to the lack of a health-insurance card. This results in additional costs for JSIS members, e.g. the “passantentarief” when you are not registered with a general practitioner (GP) and, since the JSIS does not issue a Dutch health-insurance card, you simply could not register with a practitioner. Continue reading A national-insurance card for colleagues in the Netherlands
Forced leave, a dream… err… a nightmare come true…
Are you a Commission colleague posted in a EU Delegation to a third country and are you coming back to the EU for vacation? Or perhaps you already came to Europe for a short vacation and got stuck due to COVID-19 related travel bans and as a consequence you were put on forced annual leave? Do you feel discriminated when your treatment is compared to the same situation of Commission staff residing in the EU? Continue reading Forced leave, a dream… err… a nightmare come true…
Summer teleworking from abroad at DG FISMA
Following Generation 2004’s constructive note to Mr John BERRIGAN, Director-General of DG FISMA, on a too strict interpretation of the DG HR rule allowing teleworking from your “home country” during the summer period , we are glad to inform that DG FISMA has decided to change its position, something we very much appreciated.
In a message recently circulated to FISMA’s staff, a restriction not intended by the general DG HR policy was introduced: Continue reading Summer teleworking from abroad at DG FISMA
MFF: Next Generation on a shoestring?
Contrary to any basic common-sense consideration, the Commission is launching its grand plans to kick-start the European economy and strengthen the EU project as a whole in the aftermath of the Coronavirus crisis while, at the same time, proposing astonishing budgetary cuts that will affect the staff that is supposed to implement such plans. Continue reading MFF: Next Generation on a shoestring?
