Brussels, 11 May 2001
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The
Work Of The Ersboell Group: Follow-Up And Concerns Brussels, 11 May 2001 |
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promised, R&D sets out
below some information on the High-Level Committee chaired by N.
Ersboell. It continues with its work in an atmosphere that is
constructive, but one made more difficult by the complexity of
proposals that the Commission has sometimes prepared hastily without
assessing their impact on other Institutions. Following trade union
and staff pressure, a meeting of the Committee has been arranged for
22 May together with the Administrations and trade unions of the other
institutions. The
Parliament has set out a joint Administration/TU position, and R&D
is delighted to be able to say that this joint position categorically
rejects the linear career proposal that the Commission sadly persists
in defending with a degree of obstinacy that is, to say the least,
suspicious. In this context, the work of the Committee still confirms
that the proposals concerning changes in the career structure are not
even applicable in their present state. R&D
recently informed you that if the Commission went for Option B,
thereby introducing linear careers, our Regulations would undergo an
immense upheaval, particularly during negotiations with the Council.
However, it would be wrong to conclude that Option is A is preferable:
while it has the advantage of not challenging the career structure
provided for in the Regulations, it nonetheless bans automatic
promotion beyond the third step, and therefore forces 66%
of officials currently on steps 3-8 to go through a random process. As
has previously been pointed out, R&D
believe that the situation in which negotiations take place
demands prudence on the part of the Commission in its proposals for
statutory reform of the Council. It is incumbent upon the Commission
to highlight non-statutory
changes, particularly to facilitate moves to other grades, most of
which constitute a perfectly valid way of resolving current problems. The
Commission appears to be unaware that the Council’s intentions
concerning reform are now quite clear, particularly as regards the
desire to ‘cut into’ the various allowances that officials
currently qualify for (see Note No SN 2310/01
from the President of the Council, dated 19 April 2001[1]).
Several delegations respond by trying to get rid of them, or reduce
them as much as possible. It
is therefore important in a climate like this, that the Commission
neither presents proposals for reform that are dangerous for staff,
nor makes a priori concessions
that will exacerbated by other proposals in the course of the
negotiations. Staff would otherwise be obliged to pay a very high
price for reform twice over. In
this context, annual trips are particularly threatened by the
Commission’s proposal. It is important to be aware of this, and to
work on a counter-proposal that will modernise the system and not
divide staff. R&D
believes that the legitimate rights and expectations of colleagues
from peripheral areas of the Union must be preserved by other means,
possibly, as envisaged in the Williamson Report, through altered and
updated kilometre allowances. This is not a privilege for Commission
staff as other workers in Europe enjoy other benefits, for example in
the form of an employer-funded holiday ‘top-up’ or a thirteenth
month’s pay. R&D
will continue to provide you with as detailed a report as possible of
the Committee’s work, and the implications of this work for reform
of the Commission. R&D will also propose an examination of the High-Level Committee’s first report in a General Staff Meeting.
The Executive Committee
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Pour adhérer à R&D/To join R&D : envoyez ce talon à/send this stub to: Marina OGLE L
102 7/12 |
Membres du Comité Exécutif: Ianniello Franco, Adurno Giuseppe, Zorbas Gerassimos, Ravagli Alessandra, Uguccioni Bruno, Docherty Michael, Vassila-Souyoul Erica, Bochu Claude, Drevet Jean-François, Napolitano Raffaele, Crespinet Alain, Sybren Singelsma, Paul Frank, Panarisi Edi, Sperling Christiane, Domingos Dias. |
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