The Guardian,
119, Farringdon Road,
UK-EC1R 3ER

Dear Sir,

Renouveau and Democracy is the second-largest trade union in the Commission, representing around a quarter of the Brussels-based staff. We were not a little surprised to read in your edition of 27^th July that Mr.Kinnock, Vice-President of the Commission with responsibility for the reform of the institution, had taken the courageous (and unilateral) decision to tackle the evils of the Commission at their root – by closing the «Economat»- the staff shop.

We were surprised because within the Commission, procedures exist for taking such decisions affecting the staff. These procedures necessitate the consultation of the unions and the Local Staff Committee. In our capacity as a trade union and amply represented on this committee, we are therefore grateful to « The Guardian » for taking on the burden of breaking the news to us.

The « Economat » is not subsidised, neither is it some sort of Soviet-style hard-currency supermarket selling commodities unobtainable elsewhere in Belgium, but a fairly banal and not unduly cheap shop situated in an area composed entirely of offices and snack-bars, where the purchase of a packet of soap powder or a loaf of bread requires a metro or car ride. Its existence does make life a little easier for the many officials who, contrary to the image which Mr.Kinnock seeks to convey, work long hours and seek to reconcile their private and professional responsibilities.

Its closure will not make any difference whatsoever to the reality or the image of a «leaner, fitter Commission» advocated by Mr.Kinnock . The staff shop constitutes one of the few services available to the staff, and its closure will only result in the saving of 3 jobs in an institution employing almost 20,000 persons. It should be noted that the Commission provides no staff facilities, such as a gym or a swimming pool, as is the practice of many large employers both in the private and the public sector. It is therefore surprising that Mr. Kinnock, instead of dealing with the real ills of the institution prefers to deal in propaganda coups which attempt to show the staff as an over-privileged « nomenklatura ».

R&D will therefore consult your web-site on a daily basis in order to discover the next item which Mr.Kinnock intends to negotiate (or, rather, not ) with us.

I would highly appreciate if you would publish these comments.

Yours sincerely,

Franco Ianniello
President

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COMMISSION
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