Sadly, staff let slip this splendid opportunity to discuss matters with Mr. Kinnock. Did they ignore his invitation? Had they reached saturation point or was it due to despair? Is an excess of propaganda making staff weary? Or is it just a sign that even on a non-controversial matter, confidence is rock bottom?

In fact, the few dozen people at the meeting in Brussels and the other workplaces came away frustrated by the Vice-President’s seductive, but imprecise, address. Once again, the day-to-day reality of officials was light years away from Mr Kinnock’s soothing proposals.

While we await the latest version of documents dealing with terms and conditions of employment and equal opportunities, and trust that the remarks formulated by all trade unions in the course of earlier concertation exercises will be taken into consideration, R&D asks the Vice-President the following questions:

1. What guarantees can the Commission give staff with regard to the application of principles articulated in consultation documents in all DGs? In other words, how can officials who are parents with young children, and whose day starts at 6.30 a.m. and finishes at 11.00 p.m., opt for flexible working hours or choose to work part-time and at the same time bring up their children, without forfeiting the right to a career because of excessive workloads in their units or a lack of human resources?

2. What are the real guarantees of replacing staff who apply to work part-time, opt for flexible working or request special leave for family reasons? How is it possible to ensure career development for staff who opt for part-time working, flexible working or special leave for family reasons, particularly in DGs that are not family-friendly? How can we reconcile flexibility and appraisal on merit?

3. How does the Commission propose to facilitate the careers of women and men who strike a better balance of family responsibilities – despite the fact that, in social terms, all means of truly integrating women who try to reconcile their family and working lives are reduced? In particular, R&D is referring to European Schools that have no more vacancies, to the lack of places in after-school centres and nurseries , to the non-existence of facilities for teenagers whose education is just as important during holiday periods, and to the removal of the provision for the assimilation of other persons as dependent children. R&D would also refer to certain measures that are completely non-existent in the Commission, such as home care for sick children. How much thought has gone into a new form of work organisation embracing the European objective of sharing family and work responsibilities better between women and men?

4. What study has been made of measures of an ergonomic nature, or which limit uninterrupted work before a computer screen, particularly as regards category C? R&D wishes to quote the example of a law recently adopted in the United States on work with new technology, and which limits work in front of a screen to four hours a day; this follows on from a study showing that associated medical fees completely cancel out expected productivity gains.

5. What budget will be allocated per person per year to undergo appropriate training, particularly in new forms of work organisation that enable women and men to reconcile flexibility and career, and which incorporate positive actions to be agreed with staff?

6. Why must women accept careers based on even tougher competition with their male colleagues?

7. How will staff who work part-time or flexible hours be able to enjoy mobility without having to abandon these options?

The 8 March meeting on International Women’s Day underlined the need to initiate genuine debate on equal opportunities. Unfortunately, the proposals put forward by the Vice-President last Monday were disappointing.

However, R&D does support the commitment that the Vice-President made last Monday to undertake a study comparing career developments among men and women (e.g. the average length of time spent by men and women in each grade, and a comparative analysis of male and female cohorts) with a view, for example, to comparing progression in the two groups after 15 years. The establishment of indicators of this kind is a sine qua non for getting rid of ‘talking shops’ and accessing proper equality monitoring tools.

R&D is particularly mindful of staff demands: we await answers to these key questions, and insist that proposals made by the trade unions in the course of concertation exercises are taken into consideration.

The Executive Committee

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