During our 13 months of compulsory 100% teleworking for almost all of us, Generation 2004 has submitted to DG HR countless requests to start a dialogue on the conditions under which staff were and are expected to work from home – both in the current force majeure global-pandemic situation and when staff are able to go back to the office. DG HR finally reached out to the trade unions and staff associations (OSPs) for a social dialogue meeting focusing on teleworking (16 April) which we very much hope to be the first of many such meetings. Continue reading New teleworking scheme: longer working days and more micromanagement?
The same electoral rules for all!
Uniform and fully democratic electoral rules throughout the Commission, synchronised electronic elections at all sites and, last but not least, a separate local staff committee (LSC) for Seville: these are the key elements of a proposal for staff-representation reform developed by Generation 2004. We have been raising these issues in one form or another since at least 2013 and have actively led on related efforts to address these three points on several occasions. Continue reading The same electoral rules for all!
Generation 2004’s position on ‘sofagate’ and beyond…
The president of the Commission published a speech (26 April 2021) where she states that she considers the ‘sofagate’ events of 7 April to have been gender discrimination. Until then, and in the absence of details and statements it was important to keep a cool head and to view the whole affair in all its complexity to look at all the factors that might have played a role. Continue reading Generation 2004’s position on ‘sofagate’ and beyond…
Brussels LSC and the Interpreters’ Delegation
‘The staff committees represent the interests of the staff vis-à-vis the Institution and contributes to the smooth running of the service.’ (Staff Matters)
Generation 2004 objects to the way the Brussels Local Staff Committee (LSC) appears to be imposing rules on the Interpreters’ Delegation. Continue reading Brussels LSC and the Interpreters’ Delegation
Welcome to ‘The Wild West of Teleworking’ Photography Contest
*We would still like to receive your pics and stories*
Still working at the kitchen table after 13 months? Your bills increased exponentially? Cannot afford a decent home office with your salary?
If all of this sound familiar, it is time to participate in our photography contest!
Send us pictures of your home office set-up, your bills before and after compulsory teleworking started Continue reading Welcome to ‘The Wild West of Teleworking’ Photography Contest
Coaching lunchtime sessions on how to efficiently work digitally
*Additional date added: password is in the newsletter*
Communicating in a virtual world – how to close the empathy gap between you and your colleagues
How many times have you had an instant negative reaction when reading an email?
How many times have you received a response to an email and you can’t any sense out of it? Continue reading Coaching lunchtime sessions on how to efficiently work digitally
AST/SC SC6 the Loch Ness monster of staff grades
*Update 08.07.2021: We will have AST-SC6 colleagues in 2021!*[1]
AST/SC SC6 is a very strange phenomenon indeed. Colleagues in this grade are not an endangered species, rather there are none, they don’t exist: no one has yet attained that grade since recruitment began to this newest of staff categories in 2015 (Slide 6). This has oddly resulted in no mention being made of it in the scales in EU-published statistics, allowing readers to overlook even the existence of this last grade. Continue reading AST/SC SC6 the Loch Ness monster of staff grades
Free coaching with certified Commission colleagues
Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try!
- Demotivated and without any energy?
- Tired of doing the same thing over and over?
- Lonely and/or that you cannot control your thoughts?
- Purposeless and with no direction in life?
- Stuck in your life and have no idea what to do first?
- Unfocused and overwhelmed by work?
There is coaching available and there are coaches in the Commission who can support you in this journey wherever you are at this moment in your life!
Continue reading Free coaching with certified Commission colleagues
Brexit update: UK-only TA/CA staff: transparency in application of criteria please
A quick update and reminder of the context: the assurances given to staff with UK-only nationality that they ‘will continue their career with the Commission’ post Brexit (19.1.2021) do not apply to our colleagues with time-limited contracts. Decisions on their future are being taken using these criteria on a ‘case-by-case assessment’ with results expected now, in March 2021 [1]. Continue reading Brexit update: UK-only TA/CA staff: transparency in application of criteria please
A difficult Easter for DG SCIC staff?
DG Interpretation (SCIC) colleagues contacted us recently to have more clarity about working-time arrangements for the Easter holidays.
There are more restrictive leave-management rules in place at DG SCIC in general, for example the need to announce changes to a leave schedule 2 months in advance. Continue reading A difficult Easter for DG SCIC staff?
