No Xy Lo   no. 29 - 18 April 2013

Contents

Foreword:  Act now!!!

Talks on reform, staff regulations and the Union budget are now on the final stretch. As is to be expected, as the talks proceed they are accompanied by rumours, gossip and groundless speculation. Nothing is scarier than fear itself: fear is a poor counsellor and discourages concerted action, always essential if decisions are to be influenced.

The Member States are continuing to wield the whip, showing no sense of responsibility or concern for the general interest. The EP is still holding out, but for how much longer? Nor is it always standing out for the right things. While as far as the Commission is concerned, its faults are due to an overactive sense of reality and a lack of ambition for the future of the Union.

So now is the time to act.

We must act to defend the future of the Union and the Public Service. It is for this reason that U4U is backing the call by the 4500 staff members who have signed the letter to the Presidents of the three Institutions – Council, Commission and European Parliament – to ask for more from Europe, budgetary resources sufficient to tackle the crisis, and a European Commission willing to fully accept the duties with which it has been tasked by the Treaties. This being the case, U4U is recommending joint inter-staff action.

Action is required to defend new staff members, to reduce the inequalities which have been unfairly created by the 2004 reform and poor implementation management. What is essential here is for the internal competitions to be organised covering a sufficient number of positions to provide the basis of a response to this problem. The petition launched on this issue by U4U has already collected 1000 signatures.

Action is required to defend staff cohesion, without which any effective defence of the Public Service will be impossible. This is why U4U supports the rally on April 23 of the Contract Agents’ Collective and their demands. In this matter, as with all actions which U4U supports, we are calling for action to be across staff organisations.

Action is needed to preserve the role and function of the central services of the Commission, to protect staff careers while the role of the agencies is being reinforced, which we see as a process which should be reined in.

Action must be taken to develop a coherent and overarching management policy for permanent and insecure staff, which is seriously lacking. No decisive action is possible in the absence of a participatory staff management system and fully accepted social dialogue. In this area, the Commission still has ground to cover, and as a conclusion to the negotiations must encourage the most constructive positions on the part of the staff associations, without turning its back, as is now sadly its wont, on what has been gained from social dialogue, gains which it now rejects under the dishonest pretext of a lack of consensus between the staff representation organisations.

April: Act now to reduce insecurity!!

The Contract Agents’ Collective, which includes staff and contract workers battling against entrenched forms of insecurity, has decided to hold a rally on Tuesday April 23, at 12:30, before the Berlaymont.

The purpose of this rally is to show the Commission just how many contract agents there are, and to call on the EP and the Council to grant:

- an extension of contracts in the Institutions’ central departments from 3 to 6 years;
- the holding of internal competitions allowing all CAs the opportunity to enter the European public service;
- interim measures designed to keep the ACs in their jobs to the end of their contracts, or to allow them to be re-employed without prior selection once the new staff regulations have been adopted;
- and a new policy to cover insecure staff including the overseeing of their careers, genuine transfer opportunities, a promotion policy similar to that of the Public Servants, the establishment of social dialogue, etc.

For more information visit: www.collectifdescontractuels.eu

Institution staff to their Presidents: act now for the future of the Union!!

Over 4000 staff members have approached the Presidents of the European Institutions to ask them, in the light of the economic crisis, to reinforce and strengthen the role of the Union, "the only structure able to provide solutions on the scale of the problems currently facing us".

In this letter, rather than having them cut the resources available for European action, they are calling on them to promote a much more ambitious and future-oriented approach! This letter stands as an appeal for the global and long term effectiveness of the European Institutions and contains some concrete proposals, such as the following:

• to actively promote the adoption of an ambitious, more independent budget, one more equal to the global challenges facing all Member States, challenges for which the only effective solution will be at the European level;
• not to restrict action to merely cutting expenses, but to launch investigations into means of boosting revenue by the implementation of an innovative European fiscal policy which respects equality before the law;  
• to preserve and reinforce the institutional role of the Commission as laid down in the Treaties, particularly as regards its right of initiative, and ultimately to return to the Community Method instead of the inter-Governmental method;
• to retain expertise in the methods of executing the budgetary framework, and particularly heading 5, in order not to compromise the ability to achieve the priorities laid down in Europe 2020;
• to plan for the organisation of a work and discussion forum whereby, assisted by Institution staff, sound action plans can be drawn up designed to lead to a better use of public funds, with a view to framing sustainable responses equal to current social and economic challenges.

This letter is signed by the "EU STAFF FOR EUROPE" (Members of the Personnel Group to protect the European project and the EU public function).

It is our opinion that this letter must be strongly supported. To read the whole text, and in particular, to add your support...

Internal competitions: Redressing the injustices suffered by the “post 2004” colleagues

U4U supports the holding of internal examinations as one, at least partial, way of redressing the injustices inflicted on staff recruited after May 1 2004. However, the Administration’s current proposal is inadequate. In a petition launched by U4U, we are calling for what we see as a minimum:

- 3 exams – two in 2013 and one 2014 – in place of the single one envisaged;
- for 1,000 graduates, instead of 380 – as currently envisaged;
- exams for all ASTs and not just AST 1/2/3s;
- exams covering a larger number of fields so that more colleagues can benefit (particularly translation, which is excluded).

We are asking you to please support our appeal addressed to DG HR

Adjusting our salaries and pensions: where are we at?

Based on the method adopted to adjust our salaries and pensions, the Commission has proposed, along the lines of the July 2010 – June 2011 period, an adjustment of salaries and pensions of 1.7% to be applied retroactively from July 2011. The Commission has also proposed, as of July 1 2011, a cut in our pension contributions of 0.6%.

The Council has contested these adjustments: this is why they are the subject of an appeal to the Court of Justice lodged by the Commission and the European Parliament.

Last year, given the changes in the national public servants’ purchasing power between July 2011 and June 2012, the Commission proposed, again in keeping with regulatory procedures, a 1.7% adjustment in our salaries and pensions, plus an additional cut in our pension contribution of around 1%, to be applied as of July 1 2012.

The Council has made no comment on these proposals. The Commission has launched the appropriate procedure by issuing a letter of notice!

On the question of the 2011 salary adjustments, we can expect a ruling from the Court before the end of 2013. The other adjustments look like taking longer.

And lastly, for want of a new method, the Commission is obliged to propose a salary and pension adjustment before July 1 2013 under article 65 of the Staff Regulation. This question remains, in the absence of a method: will this be based on the former method, or that contained in the draft reform, and so on?

U4U is keeping a close eye on the progress of these cases and will be sure to keep you informed.

U4U European Training Schemes (U4eUrope)

The U4U training programme is designed to provide members and interested parties with skills and analysis basics to boost staff representation and Staff Association action.

Where: U4U room – LOI 80 - 2/206
When: Thursdays from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm
Cost share: 5 euros per session, pay on the spot.

The following sessions are scheduled:

- Thursday April 18: "Languages of Europe" – Catherine Vieilledent, session in EN
- Thursday April 25: The Common Agricultural Policy – Tomas Garcia Azcarate
- Thursday May 16: The Common Fisheries Policy – Armando Astudillo
- Thursday May 30: Austerity policies in Europe: myth or reality – MAIRATE Andrea (REGIO)
- to be scheduled: In the wings on May 9 1950 – Karine AURIOL.

To register...

Follow-up on Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)

Overall, the Member States made a commitment to a saving of 2.5 billion EUR under Heading V of the Financial Perspectives, at the Council of February 7 and 8 2013:

- Savings of 1 billion on the basis of the Commission proposal, including a 5% staff reduction;  
- Freezing salaries and suspension of the Method for 2 years;
- Administrative extension to Croatia at zero cost.

Once the financial framework has been defined, the effects of certain provisions on the Staff Regulation must be determined. The outcome is that talks have reopened at the Council’s Working Party on Staff Regulations (2 meetings since the adoption of the MFF). This Group’s discussions have provided no grounds for comfort: the Member States representatives reclaimed a rise (meaning reduced resources) in comparison with the agreement signed at Council level in February.

It is for this reason that the Commission requested that COREPER monitor the work of the Working Party on Staff Regulations. And this indeed happened. But Coreper itself has drifted further away from what had been agreed. Essentially, the Member States are insisting that the 2-year suspension of adjustments should be accompanied by the immediate introduction of a solidarity levy of 6%, applied to all staff members and retired staff members, which is unacceptable. The paper also recommended a reform of the career system in force at the Commission, subjecting access to the higher grades to the acceptance of management structure responsibilities. We shall come back to this matter on the occasion of the forthcoming publication of No. 34 of The Link, the U4U Staff Association newsletter.

Proximity: our meetings

What stage has reform reached? What are the crucial issues for permanent, temporary or contract staff? What initiatives would be helpful to staff members?

The U4U Staff Association actively supports the development of a strong Europe, one which stands behind the people.

U4U regularly organises meetings to reach out to the colleagues, to listen to their specific difficulties and to inform them of priorities, issues and the goals behind Staff Association action.

Future meetings:
- April 24 2013, at Breydel 2 building, from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm, room BRE2 12/405;
- May 15 2013, at the European Parliament in Brussels, from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm, room to be confirmed;
- May 23 2013, Luxembourg (location to be decided).

U4U has a permanent representative in each DG, to whom you can refer all your questions.

Public holidays scheduled for 2014 (provisional)

Wednesday January 1, New Year’s Day
Thursday January 2, New Year Holiday
April 17 Maundy Thursday
April 18 Good Friday
April 21 Easter Monday
Thursday May 1, Labour Day
Friday May 9, Anniversary of the declaration of President Schuman in 1950
Thursday May 29, Ascension Day
Friday May 30, Ascension Day Holiday
Monday June 9, Pentecost
Monday July 21, Belgian National Day
Friday August 15, Assumption
Wednesday December 24 to Wednesday December 31
(18 days in all)

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UNION FOR UNITY – U4U
Publisher: Georges Vlandas
Editor in chief : V. Sfyroeras
Editing committee: Paul Clairet, Fabrice Andreone, Sylvie Vlandas, Tomas Garcia Azcarate,
Kim Slama, Gérard Hanney, Sazan Pakalin, Agim Islamaj, Yves Dumont,
Rafael Marquez Garcia, J.-P. Soyer, Daniel Baruchel, Carmen Zammit

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