{"id":273,"date":"2023-02-27T12:52:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T11:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/u4unity.eu\/u4u\/speak-up\/"},"modified":"2023-08-21T10:15:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T08:15:46","slug":"speak-up","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/u4unity.eu\/en\/u4u\/u4u-et-vous\/speak-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet us & Speak up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

U4U organizes regularly some meetings on the workplace. Everybody is invited to walk in and to speak freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These meetings are announced on our home page under the \u2018Meet the staff<\/a><\/em>\u2019 heading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The texts below are the results of these meetings. We don\u2019t publish minutes (thus avoiding any identification of participants) but these texts reflect the common conclusions. They are then published and, often, are the support of further meetings with the hierarchy, leading in most cases, in some improvements of working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>PMO<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PMO tensions: missing the forest for the trees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Responsible for an annual budget of around \u20ac5 billion and managing not only salaries but also medical expenses, pensions and missions, the PMO is an essential service for the smooth running of the EU institutions and agencies that use its services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The staff of this Office therefore deserve not only to have their work recognised, but above all to be treated with the same attention and the same rights as other Commission departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the reality is far from this “ideal”, or should we say this minimum requirement of organisational and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to this situation, the administration has decided to set up “listening chambers” to enable the staff concerned to express their views on the management of the Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we naturally welcome this step, we can only draw the attention of all concerned to the fact that, however necessary it may be, it will unfortunately not be sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the various complaints received about the management of the Office, or even the management “style” of its Director, we must indeed bear in mind that the source of the problem lies deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austerity and budget cuts have led to continuous and increasingly disruptive reorganisation, which has aggravated the already difficult situation of colleagues employed under very unfavourable statutes, despite the fact that they have responsibilities of paramount importance for the whole organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than ever, these colleagues face a lack of real career prospects and professional development. Measures that would allow them to progress or be promoted (internal competitions, changes of category, etc.) are few and far between, leading to a growing feeling that their work is not recognised and valued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Far from being a solution to these problems, the reorganisation that has taken place has only exacerbated an already extremely tense situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we fully support the principle of the ongoing management investigations, we believe it is important to reflect more deeply on the resources allocated to the Office and the disparities in status within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is time to put the matter on the table and examine it systematically and thoroughly, so that the tree of management methods does not hide the forest of inadequate resources and the extremely unfavourable status of our colleagues in the PMO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n