Welcome to the 3 July 2020 Generation 2004 Newsletter.
Summer is coming! Except, of course, if you are posted in an EU Delegation in the southern hemisphere! But before you go on a well-deserved break: vacation or staycation, we would like to cover a few issues.
First and definitely foremost we cover the recent opening of a new Commission club called “TAs club! CAs and ASTs not allowed!!!” Yes, we are obviously referring to the ongoing Internal Competition, open only to Temporary Agents. To celebrate the event we have launched a long overdue petition in support of Contract Agents [1] and also sent a note to DG HR raising the frustration of both Contact Agents and Assistants [2], who were summarily excluded from this competition.
We continue with the follow up on the Chafea drama [3] and then, surprise, surprise we cover the fate of our British colleagues in the aftermath of Brexit [4]. Yes, we feel this saga will never end!
We also cover how, no matter what, the Commission bureaucratic cogs and wheels can’t stay still [5], and despite the COVID-19 crisis still manages to develop and implement rules for missions in a time where these are for the most of it at a standstill…
To cheer us up we do have some good news coming from DG FISMA, where following Generation 2004’s intervention a too restrictive interpretation of the rules on the summer teleworking from abroad was corrected [6]. Thank you DG FISMA!!!
To close this issue, if you are a Commission colleague working in EU Delegations to third countries we invite you to fight for your rights [7]… The EEAS is forcing some colleagues to take annual leave when this shouldn’t be the case.
Finally… Have we mentioned summer is coming? Oh well! Conditions to enjoy it may not be the best this year given the tragic COVID-19 pandemic, but try to enjoy your break as best as possible. To get you started, here is a timeless summertime classic [8] interpreted by Ella and Louis!
Meanwhile, at the Generation 2004 Newsletter headquarters we are also taking off and will be back in September! So long and thank you for all the readings!
toolTips('.classtoolTips23','Contract Agents (CAs) were created by the 2004 staff regulations Reform. There are two types of CA: those with unlimited contracts, 3A [9] (‘indefinite’) and those with time-limited contracts [10], 3B [11]. CAs can belong to 4 different function groups (\'GF\') with different responsibilities and salaries [12].
As the use of contract staff becomes increasingly common, there has been a corresponding increase in the diversity of status and pay of the Commission’s workforce. For example, GFIV contract staff meeting the same minimum recruitment requirements (education and experience) as junior administrators may earn 28 % less. (European Court of Auditors, 2019, Special report no 15/2019 [13]: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission – Big savings but not without consequences for staff, point 61, page 34)
We have a working group dedicated to the dossier, and in December 2012 we addressed the first of many letters (\'notes\') about Contract Agents to Human Resources of all Institutions and agencies [14] (here is the cover e-mail [15]).
As a background you can see the report of the Commission to the Council regarding the recruitment of the contract agents in 2010 [16] (in French, COM(2011)802 final 23.11.2011).
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