R&D cafè: Multiannual Financial Framework

During the recently concluded European summit (7/8 February 2013) the Council approved the Multiannual Financial Framework programme 2014-2020; the conclusions can be found at this link. Last Monday 11/2 the vice-president of the European Commission Mr Šefčovič discussed the MFF with the trade unions which gave us the possibility to understand better the Commission view of the programme. As regards Heading V (see pages 39/40 of the MFF conclusions) on the administrative expenditures (salaries, European Schools, etc.), a cut of €2,5 billion has been foreseen (€1 billion more than the Commission’s initial proposal) together with the confirmation of the already announced staff cut of 5% for the period 2013-2017. Furthermore, it has been proposed that no salary adaptation will be applied for the next 2 years, while it is not clear yet what it will happen to the solidarity levy. The European Parliament will now evaluate the Council proposal: it's up to the MEPs to decide whether to accept or reject it, but no amendments are possible.

Negotiations will be carried out in the coming weeks: if you want to know more or express your views please come to the R&D Cafè that we are going to organise by the end of February. Stay tuned!

R&D Ispra position on 21/11 action

R&D Ispra has decided to join, together with the other trade unions, a common action in defence of the European project, of the Institutions and the European Public Service. This action, in Brussels, will have as a result a demonstration en masse in front of the Council against the cut of €80 billions on the total 2014-2020 budget and a strike on the afternoon of the 21st November so as to let the maximum number of colleagues to take part in the rally.

R&D Café: join us and have your say!

Your R&D representatives are currently working on several topics of importance to the staff and the future of the JRC.
We would like to inform you about the status of these issues, and at the same time receive your feedback about them.
To this end we have planned a series of informal encounters in which your R&D colleagues dealing with each topic will
present the latest developments after which the floor will be open for comments and discussion. And then a coffee!

In order minimise the disruption to your work schedules, we have planned the meetings from 13:00 to 13:45. 

Calendar
Reform: what is happening to our staff regulations?   22/11/12 – Amphitheatre (bdg.36)
ACGH: from Grantholder scheme to AC contracts     05/12 /12 - Room 3 (bdg.36)
Correction Coefficient: latest developments               11/12/12 - Amphitheatre (bdg.36)
European School and attractiveness of the JRC Ispra 02/13 – date and venue tbc
Research at the JRC: possible future scenarios          02/13 – date and venue tbc

Future topics for next meetings:
Ispra site, Administrative burden, Trade unions' role

 

We want to listen, inform and act!

We are really looking forward to a large turnout: please invite your colleagues too!
We remind you the Secretariat is always open if you want to pass by personally.

2012

Another year has almost passed and you might be worried what 2012 will bring to you, your family and friends, Europe or maybe the whole world. It is definitely not the easiest moment. We all know that those who are against a possible regulation of the financial markets are as well the owners of the newspapers and TV channels. And, let’s not forget, a manipulated public is made believe by misleading media (often steered by the very profiteers of the current crisis) that it is good news when these nasty, overpaid and useless civil servants are getting punished.  

Where are R&D and the JRC standing in this complex situation?

As R&D Ispra we are aware of the importance and impact of the financial markets and we would welcome more JRC involvement in this issue. For this reason we have organised a presentation on the bonus and rewarding culture given by an external banking expert to all staff in the new Auditorium on Friday 20 January 2012 10:30.

Having been the leading force behind the harmonisation of the JRC administrative processes, the first Scientific Open Competitions ever and the move of the JRC to the heart of the Commission, we can conclude that at least for the moment, taking also very well into consideration what is happening "outside", we are not the worst off. That doesn't mean that we are happy with the way the JRC reorganisation was communicated to staff or that we will just accept the proposed changes of the staff regulations. The problem of the proposal for the new Staff  Regulations is the intention behind it and what the Council will do with it. If the modifications were proposed to improve the efficiency of the European Commission, reducing the costs at the same moment, it would have been easier to accept them. But we have the strong impression that the intention of the proposal is to weaken the European Institutions. However, what is happening didn't just come out of the sky; we informed you in our 2008 electoral programme under the Crystal Ball chapter. We guarantee that R&D will continue to defend your future, accepting compromises on, for example, working hours but strongly against a further abuse of temporary staff on permanent jobs or weird calculations of the Correction Coefficient.

Clarifications on the future of the JRC

Barroso II, false start?

It looks to R&D that the Barroso II Commission has made the worst possible start in respect to the recognition of the role of the JRC.

As you know we have once again lost a Deputy Director General. After Mrs. Pauli being transferred to DG RTD this is the second time within a very short period and it makes us wonder how DG JRC is supposed to be the most important scientific advisory organisation to the policy making process of the European Commission when having been already for several years without a well functioning senior management structure. For too long now we have either had a Deputy DG acting as a Director General or a DG acting also as a Deputy DG.

This is very worrying and we cannot accept that JRC staff will be presented the bill for this lack of support one day. Political declarations on the importance of Research in Europe are followed by practical decisions against the Commission's most important and only real research activity, DG JRC.

We would like to invite our Commissioner Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn to meet up with the Trade Unions as soon as possible in order to establish a solid JRC strategy 2010-2020.