SOS your pension! – The EU pension scheme is a barrier to mobility

Features, Pensions
  • For those who choose to leave the institutions before reaching 10 years of service, “transfer-out” of pension rights to a private scheme is possible but under very strict conditions that limit the range of financial products available for the transfer (see here). In particular, the available private schemes charge a high entry fee because they are fully aware that their customers have no viable alternative.
  • For those who remain for more than 10 years in service, the “transfer-out” of pension rights can only be back to national systems where the applicable conditions are left to the discretion of national authorities. In particular, there is no transparency on the amount of pension rights that the “transfer-out” will generate in countries where pensions are based on an annuity principle (countries where in order to get a pension, you need to have contributed for a number of years).

Continue reading SOS your pension! – The EU pension scheme is a barrier to mobility →

SOS your pension! – Generation 2004’s analysis: drastic further reductions are looming

Features, Pensions

The service cost of EU staff pensions is rising very quickly while cost of salaries is decreasing rapidly because of the hiring of new officials at low grades, the massive recruitment of underpaid CAs and the reduction in staff numbers. As a result, Generation 2004 reckons that the service cost of pensions will exceed the cost of salaries around 2025. It is unlikely that MS will accept to spend more on pensions of retired staff than on salaries of active staff. Since MS do not seem to find any value in increasing our salaries, the most likely decision will be drastic reduction of pension benefits. Continue reading SOS your pension! – Generation 2004’s analysis: drastic further reductions are looming →

SOS your pension! – The facts: EU pension scheme for dummies

Features, Pensions

If you thought you were already shipwrecked by the 2004 and 2014 staff reforms as regards your career perspectives as well as your salary, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Wait until you are old and frail and want to draw on your well-deserved pension. That’s when the real trouble starts. In this article, Generation 2004 takes a closer look at the EU pension scheme. Can we avoid the many icebergs that lurk around our pension scheme? In particular, what are the chances that EU Member States (MS) pay the €40 billion pension liability accumulated since 1958? Can we prepare a lifeboat in case the scheme were to founder? Continue reading SOS your pension! – The facts: EU pension scheme for dummies →

General Implementation Provisions for Contract Agents: a compromise which leads NOWHERE

Contract Agents, Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, z Newsletter article

The saga of the discussions on the General Implementing Provisions (GIP) for Contract Agents (CA) seems to have lasted for ages. Generation 2004 has followed it for you in a number of articles (see here and here).

The culmination came some weeks ago at a meeting of the social dialogue chaired by VP Georgieva (concertation politique in French) – one of her last actions before her departure to the World Bank.

Generation 2004 expressed a position that is crystal clear. The so-called compromise is NOT acceptable to us. It fails to address our main concern: the new initial classification grid for CAs which we see as the core of the problem. Continue reading General Implementation Provisions for Contract Agents: a compromise which leads NOWHERE →

Promotions: adapted Article 90 template available in January

Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, Promotions, z Newsletter article

Every year G2004 provides support to members but also colleagues irrespectively of their trade union affiliation in defending their rights in the framework of promotions exercise. We congratulate everyone who received their welldeserved promotion this year. For those of you who did not find their names on the list of promoted officials for 2016 we offer our support for an article 90 appeal. During this year’s exercise G2004 representatives in the Promotions Committees deposited an objection note (for AD and AST) which will give additional factual weight to the claims of all who decide to launch an appeal. Our new adapted template will be available in January.

What you don’t know surely can hurt you!

Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, z Newsletter article

DG HR is desperately trying to cut costs… Nothing new.
But for those of you who anticipate the usual enrolment message for spring language courses this may come as a surprise – NO MESSAGE this time.

The enrolment has started in cautious silence, hoping that as many colleagues as possible will miss the deadline to introduce their request for language training before they leave for Christmas… and it will be too late when they are back as the end date for registration is 8 January 2017.

A suspicious mind could also ask why the new learning platform (to replace Syslog) is introduced during this same period. Even if you decide to enrol – there is a high risk that you will get lost in the new system.

Sorry to have once again disrupted DG HR’s plan.

Generation 2004 is here to give you all the information you need. This is what you have to do if you wish to enrol for the standard language courses February – June 2017:

  • From MyIntracomm Top Tools go to EU learn.
  • Open Catalogue menu, search for Interinstitutional catalogue, then Languages and country knowledge. Find your location (Brussels, Luxembourg, etc.) and the language you need.
  • And do this before 8 January 2017!

Luxembourg Mathematics: 25 = 70

Features, Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, z Newsletter article

The Election of the new Local Staff Committee of Luxembourg (LSC) took place at the end of November with a turn-out of almost 70%. Generation 2004 scored some 18.8% of votes, which translates into 2 seats out of 20. We would like to thank all those who voted for us. Despite the increase in the number of lists that were presented to the elections this time, we are the only list that has maintained our score achieved 3 years ago. As a result, we still send two representatives (full member and deputy) to the Central Staff Committee, and we will keep roughly the same representation in the Joint Committees (e.g. promotion committees). Continue reading Luxembourg Mathematics: 25 = 70 →