No Xy Lo

 

Numéro 23 – 11 juillet 2012

 

 

ÉDITO: Lessons learned from the poll and a few actions

 

You chose to put at the top the list Near You composed equally by U4U and R & D.

We appreciate the trust you showed to us. However, this result is not of a nature to allow us to crow. We have indeed heard the message of those who chose us, but also of those who voted for other lists, of those who have not participated in the vote or voted blank/nil.

What expectations, what refusal, which requirements, the distribution of votes and abstentions seems to reflect?

- a protest against successive reforms jeopardizing the Civil Service by creating and multiplying the differences in status and unequal treatment at work

- a criticism towards institutions that do not defend their staff and sometimes mistreat it. Moreover, these institutions refuse needed management reforms (proactive management of careers, detection and talent development, participative management ...) that would bring immediate and tangible improvements.

- the expectation of a true change, the need for renewal in staff representation, less fragmented, to offer clear alternatives and explicit priorities, for the benefit of all.

The appearance of a list set-up by post-2004 colleagues in second position demonstrates the value of these three observations on the disenchantment that affects most of us. We have anticipated your messages with our commitments to promote solidarity in unity and fairness that would be achieved by raising the level, rather than seeking to increase the divisions that the successive reforms want to deepen.

With regard non voters, they have partly shared expectations and criticisms mentioned above, they have mostly expressed their loss of confidence in the solidarity and in the collective action. We will restore confidence in the community of workers and citizens we constitute by joining our forces and especially by our ability to positively influence the decisions of our employers.

We heard your questioning, your expectations and your concerns. The main thrusts of our response, now and for the next three years, are the following:

- to limit the damage for ALL of us in the ongoing negotiations about the status and method.

- to terminate or at least significantly reduce existing disparities in solidarity, so as to protect the most vulnerable among us. We will seek to improve the management of careers to give hope for concrete solutions to personnel whose expectations are currently ignored.

- to continue to work to make staff representation more effective and an absolute partner in negotiation. We will work at ensuring its union and we will focus on what unites us in our working conditions and in our convictions as European citizens.

We also have a more detailed program that each and every one of you can view and contribute to enriching. This program is the result of experience and reflection derived from our action in the past three years.

 

Only by being together we can defend our rights. It is by being united that we will remind political leaders of our institutions that we are not an "adjustment variable" of their mismanagement of the crisis. Either collectively or individually.

 

Results of elections to the LSC Brussels

The quorum was not reached at the end of the extension of the voting period, despite an encouraging start and despite intense communication from the different candidate lists.

Some colleagues have complained about receiving too many emails. The exercise of democracy requires that candidates are allowed to explain why they are putting themselves up for election and what their program, so that voters can make an informed choice. This graph also shows that it is because of these communication efforts that the quorum was finally reached albeit narrowly. There will be however a debate about how to communicate differently and more effectively with the electorate for future elections. 

The votes represented the overwhelming majority (95%) confirming that the colleagues who voted wanted to choose from the lists that presented themselves. Voting for the lists represents 65% of the votes, which indicates a vote for the action of a coherent group, even though preferential voting remains high. Personalization of votes remains an important decision making factor, it shows that voters express confidence in the actions of clearly identified colleagues.

The top ten couples who received preferential votes:

list name Preferential votes Names
NEAR you - Le renouveau pour vous 848 SEBASTIANI VLANDAS
NEAR you - Le renouveau pour vous 847 GLOWACZ CAVALLO
GENERATION 2004 769 SANCHEZ SIMIONESCU
NEAR you - Le renouveau pour vous 685 SPIECHOWICZ CENACCHI
GENERATION 2004 658 PRAVDA CATTARUZZA
UNION SYNDICALE 656 SITKOWSKA SCANO
NEAR you - Le renouveau pour vous 654 HOREMANS SFYROERAS
GENERATION 2004 651 SPILJAK LE GRAND
NEAR you - Le renouveau pour vous 647 GADZINA VIEILLEDENT
GENERATION 2004 644 PRZEOR GARCIA JOHN

The results show two important phenomena: the overall maintenance of the outgoing majority with a clear preference for the list NEAR YOU and the emergence of a categorical list which expresses the unease of the colleagues recruited after 2004. This list could be integrated into the future majority that is being formed.

Voir tous les résultats

 

Contract Agents : results of the General Meeting

The Collective of contract agents called for a general meeting on June 19, 2012 to tell the Council that the Commission's reform project contains two proposals - the fixed term contract which goes from 3 to 6 years, and internal competitions - something that is claimed by all CAs, whether permanent or fixed term. These two proposals are not only socially just. They also correspond to the needs of services that currently suffer from an exagerated "turn over" . Finally, they are consistent with our vision of a European Civil Service.

Now the Council wants to limit the contract extensions and get rid of internal competitions.

This is why the General Assembly asked:

- The Commission and the EP not to yield to the Council;

- The Commission to implement transitional measures allowing all CAs to remain in office until the effective application of the new Staff Regulations.

- The trade unions not to give up and continue to support the claims made by all the contract agents.

See the full text of the resolution here: http://www.collectifdescontractuels.eu/GA_Jun12.htm

 

Commission staff issues

In order to better understand how the Commission proceeds to downsizing, one should also understand that staffing levels in the coming years depend on two cumulative processes:

• Downsizing of 5% applied to all Commission DGs and all types of posts ("across the board"). This would render between 2013 and 2017 1% of posts i.e. 5% of the relevant budget. In parallel, the credits for the posts (contract staff) were frozen for 2013 which means a reduction of 1%, with inflation at 2%.

• The reallocation of budget to form a pool serving to strengthen the DGs whose policies are a priority. This scheme will already be in place this year. It is up to the College to decide whether this approach will continue the following year as well. The Commission decides which DGs must be strengthened.

 

EPSO scheduled competitions

- Heads of Unit (AD9) and Department Heads (AD12) in the field of translation – Croatian (22 posts in total)
- Administrators AD5 - Croatian (114 successful candidates)
- Assistants (AST 3) in the field of legal issues, communications and project management - Croatian (44 successful candidates)
- Correctors/assistant editors of Croatian language (AST 3) (20 successful candidates)
- Head of Unit for management site and nuclear safety of Karlsruhe (AD12) (1 post)
- Assistant for the secretariat (AST 1) – Croatian (60 successful candidates).

 

Looking for savings ?

Member States always ready to save savings on the backs of the civil servants do not hesitate to make little arrangements between friends to share the cake. For example, by setting up an unnecessarily complex and costly legal system to obtain an European patent in the future.

Bernhard Rapkay, EP rapporteur on the text of the single European patent stated that: "Compare the compromise reached to an Oriental bazaar would be an insult to the bazaar merchants, it is so complicated!"

Rationalising this kind of situations, relics of lame compromises, would be to the greater benefit of the European taxpayer.

 

Employment and Youth, really ?

With an average unemployment rate of 22% in the European Union, young Europeans have a serious problem accessing the labour market. The Europe Group of UEF and GRASPE organise a debate on

"Employment and Youth, really?"

with a diverse audience: institutions staff, young people and other European citizens.

12 July in Brussels from 12.30 to 2pm, rue de la loi 80 - Big CCP room.

Henri MALOSSE (President of the Employers' Group, EESC) Brigitte DEGEN (DG EMPL-C3, European Commission) Henri LASTENOUSE, European Coordinator of ECI "Who Will Pay?") Luca SCARPIELLO (Vice President of the Youth Forum) Baki YOUSSOUFOU (President of the Students Confederation) and Pablo SÁNCHEZ CENTELLAS (EPSU) Will discuss the current situation, institutional initiatives, entrepreneurship, European governance and real life testimonies...

 

Courrier des lecteurs

Saying goodbye

Dear all,
I would like to announce my departure from the European Commission in the coming days and to thank you all for these three years.
As you know, I have lived wonderful and unpleasant experiences during this time and I've made the most out of both.

During these years I've left the office feeling myself very lucky or completely discouraged.
I don't regret anything and I am very proud of having been part of this international- bureaucratic "machinery" able to achieve very great things; but where unfortunately, the status and rigid hierarchy prevent some people to put their knowledge, competences and motivation at the citizens' service. Therefore, this machinery has empowered my convictions and I am really grateful for it.

Now it's time to take a break at least for a while. But I am just leaving, not giving up. I'm convinced that "the system" has to change or die. The system needs, more than never, people able to be critical with it and willing to improve it from top to bottom. This system needs to be updated for modern times and for the current political and social framework: "Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible".
This system needs employees able to be critical with their "superiors" (yes, even their cabinets or particularly with them!) and "superiors" who don't take this wording literally: People more concerned by the real work and its impact on the citiziens, than by their personal careers, salaries and promotions: humble and courageous employees and not only an ellite of ambitious careerists.

We shouldn't forget the beautiful meaning of "civil servant": We are the simple servants of citizens and no the servants of the power.
Regarding the overqualified people working on assistants posts, this system should be able to updtate itself to them and not the opposite. The system should be able to take advantage of these new assistants, otherwise highly trained and motivated human capital will be lost. The employer has to be able to push up the qualities of their employees. If an assistant has an added value, the employer's duty is to stimulate it, rather than ignore it. Little details can change the motivation and even the professional career of these employees with a view to their future.
All the best

Post 2004

Une remarque concernant les concours : pour redresser les injustices, il ne faut pas seulement demander l'organisation de concours internes AD7 mais surtout insister sur les grades AD9 et AD11, sinon, on crée encore des inégalités.

Je m'explique : les collègues recrutés en AD5 entre 2004 et 2006 voire 2007 sont déjà arrivés en AD7. Ce qu'il leur faut pour progresser et ne pas être désavantagés vs tant des pré-2004 que de nouvelles recrues qui rentreraient maintenant, c'est des concours qui permettent une réelle prise en compte de leur expérience professionnelle passée et leur permette de postuler à des postes de management après 5 à 8 années d'expérience au sein de la Commission. Des concours internes AD7 ne leur offre en effet aucune perspective de promotion de carrière nouvelle.

 

SOUTENEZ U4U

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Nous avons besoin de vous pour continuer à défendre la fonction publique européenne. Pour nous aider à poursuivre notre action, nous vous proposons d'adhérer ou de renouveler votre adhésion. Le montant de l'adhésion est de 10€ (adhésion simple) ou de 60€ (adhésion de soutien), à verser sur le compte de U4U (001-6350630-19), avec la mention de votre institution.

 

  

UNION FOR UNITY – U4U
Éditeur: Georges Vlandas
Comité de Rédaction: G. Vlandas, R. Mohedano-Brèthes, J.P. Soyer,
F. Andreone, R. Marquez García, Agim Islamaj, S. Vlandas, A. Hubrecht

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