The 2015 Brussels Local Staff Committee (LSC) elections marked a historical change in the staff representation. Generation 2004 as its winner, albeit obtaining 7 out of 27 seats, took its responsibility for the 2015-2018 mandate. Today with pride we can claim that we achieved a lot and obtained several positive results.

From the start the Local Staff Committee was on Generation 2004’s priority list. That is the reason why most of its resources, 4 out of 4.5 secondments, were assured by Generation 2004. Before the 2015-2018 term there were 13.75 seconded colleagues from different trade unions and staff associations and who decided to abandon ship after Generation 2004 took the wheel.

Together Łukasz Wardyn, the LSC President and Paola Pagliarulo, the LSC Secretary-General (both members of Generation 2004), organised over 40 plenary sessions and 44 meetings of the Bureau of the Local Staff Committee.

The main challenge was to reform the 26-year-old internal rules of procedure of the LSC as well as the reform of the Delegations of the LSC (drivers, interpreters, nurseries and childcare facilities).

Additional internal reforms were implemented in order to lay the foundation for an efficient and effective well-functioning LSC aiming at giving the staff committee back to staff. Continue reading Achievements of the Brussels Local Staff Committee during the term 2015-2018 →

Treating all staff members fairly in the European Institutions is not just a moral obligation but also a necessity to ensure maximum work performance. When one of the staff categories is treated unfairly, it results in decreasing its morale. Low morale results in decreased work performance. Which can, in turn, lead to high staff turnover.

With this in mind, Generation 2004 takes part in the comprehensive social dialogue to upgrade the legal framework for Local Agents in EU Delegations. The expected result of this social dialogue has provided significant input for reflection on the part of all social partners and has contributed to achieve a mutual understanding. This should result in better work performance and working relationships in EU Delegations. Continue reading Legal framework for Local Agents – finally fairly treated? →

As most of you probably also are, Generation 2004 is fed up of reading staff representation tracts that are at least misleading and sometimes blatantly false. For this reason we have decided to create this column. Its name, Fact Checking, will be a place where we will try to regularly debunk these claims.You may also participate and help us. How? Well, it’s simple, if you see any message or statement from any union or staff association – Generation 2004 included – and that you find falls short in the realm of truthfulness, then just point it out to us and we will analyse it, get the straight dope on it and report back to all. Finally and obviously, unless otherwise explicitly requested we will keep our source anonymous. Continue reading Fact Checking →

The R&D section at the EP has publicized its strong agreement with anti-precariousness positions taken up by Parliamentarians in a resolution . Parts of the R&D text are somewhat fuzzy due to being translated too literally from French into Franglais, so some readers may get the impression that R&D has played a major part in persuading the EP. If that is so, they have been very secretive until now.

NPS and SID jointly developed Petition 0178/2017 against Automatically Firing Contract Agents and with much appreciated support from G2004 got the endorsement of the EP’s Petitions Committee which passed the petition on to Legal Affairs Committee. In all that time, we never heard even a whisper from the R&D, so discrete that we did not know they were there. Maybe you, dear reader can help us out. Here is a video clip of the key meeting.

Send us an email if you can identify R&D members in the room.

You have probably seen several invitations to fill in a survey organised by the University of East Anglia on the EU institutions and its staff. The survey is about our organisation and 

about our working methods. It is part of an important study that provides an insight into how our organisation functions and is managed today.

Your contribution by filling in the survey would be important in order to give rich and diverse information to the researchers from all corners of the Commission. Continue reading East Anglia Survey- Deadline is 22 June! →

Declaration of “the” Local Staff Committee of Luxembourg

“The” Local Staff Committee of Luxembourg, in its communication of 22 May 2018 “Declaration on the importance of local representation of the Staff Committee in Luxembourg” explains that the interests of the Luxembourg staff are at risk, because of a reform of the staff representation. This is at least very strongly exaggerated! Continue reading Reform of the social dialogue – Will staff representation disappear from smaller sites as the Local Staff Committee of Luxembourg tells you? →

Until 31 July, non-Belgians can sign up to vote in the local municipal elections which will take place in October. All EU citizens have the right to vote, while non-EU citizens can vote after living 5 years in Belgium.

Non-Belgians represent one third of the electorate (or 300.000 people) in Brussels, including nearly 1/2 of the electorate in the communes of Etterbeek, Ixelles or Saint Gilles. Voting is your chance to have a say on the decisions taken by the communes which have broad powers, such as population services, cleanliness, urban planning, roads and public spaces such as parks and playgrounds, and cultural and sports centers. Continue reading Are you registered to vote in Belgium? Don’t miss the deadline – your voice counts! →