Salary adaptation: +0,5% or -0,6%?

29/10/2013 ,
Our communication on salary adaptation raised the interest of many colleagues; therefore we are happy to share a table with you providing an even clearer summary of the situation. This table will explain why a salary increase of 0,5% or a salary decrease of 0,6% are both correct interpretations! We take the opportunity to reaffirm our active commitment on this very sensitive file and we’ll continue to take part in official meetings, to analyse data and to keep applying pressure on Eurostat and the administration to have a CC for Varese which reflects reality.

Planning for temporary staff

24/10/2013
Recently it has come to our attention that many units and actions in the JRC have been told to suspend (or not renew) recruitment of temporary staff. Staff policy, both for officials and temporary staff, is a fundamental pillar for the accomplishment of the mission of DG JRC and for the provision of the best possible service to our stakeholders. For this reason it is critical that staffing needs are planned and executed in the best possible way. Because of our concerns regarding the recent developments, we have sent a note to our Director General (please click here if you would like to receive it) which is being taken into consideration by the Resources Directorate. We hope that the reply will clarify the current state of affairs; at the same time we will monitor the situation and keep applying pressure on the administration to avoid any weakening of the scientific activities which are at the heart of the JRC.

JRC inaugurates the new “research centre”

21/10/2013
Ribbons cut for the two buildings that will house laboratories and offices, and will contribute to energy conservation for the whole centre.

 Read the full article

Internet access in the JRC Ispra lodgings

04/10/2013
Staff well-being is of paramount importance for R&D Ispra. That’s why we do our best to make the site more attractive and we welcome all kinds of initiatives and on-going activities. Just to mention two: the site development and the recent sustainable mobility event. However we believe that there is still space for improvement, especially for newcomers and their families.

We have received many request/complaints by newcomers who stay temporarily in the lodgings and who are "cut-off" from the Internet after hours, simply because in the lodgings they don't have Internet access. This means that, if not at work or in the Clubhouse (closed during the weekend and after 23h00), they don't have Internet access. Considering the many requests and because we believe that the lack of a basic 21st Century commodity gives a very bad first impression of the JRC to new arrivals, we have sent this note to ISM in which we request immediate Internet access for these new colleagues. As you can see in this document the Commission officially endorses a policy on Internet access; in its own backyard though it is partly still missing.
R&D Ispra sincerely hopes that this remarkable and embarrassing lack of a basic commodity will be dealt with soon with the available and easily applicable (not rocket science…) technology.

R&D Day: follow-up

18/09/2013
Dear members, 
On Thursday 5thSeptember we held our R&D Day at Villa Borghi. It was a good occasion to meet colleagues willing to share their views on the role our trade union should play in our working lives. We would like to share with you a mind-mapwe have prepared and a summary of some of the main conclusions:

1. "Hot topics": the idea that every key-point of our working life will be followed by a particular person (or a small team) is still valid and we are convinced this is the right way to work. Over the last year we have been working on the following principal topics:
Correction  Coefficient:Paul Nauwelaers
Staff Regulations:Paul Nauwelaers - Davide Auteri
JSIS:Davide Auteri
Grantholders/AC FGIV scientific profiles: Robert Kenny - Salvatore Tirendi - Hans Nieman
European School:Hans Nieman
Career/Mobility:Gianfranco Selvagio
Newcomers:Clemens Wittwehr
Individual rights: Gianfranco Selvagio
IT + bureaucracy: Davide Auteri – Robert Kenny
The names indicated are those persons who have been mainly involved in these topics during the last year, but other volunteers are being added to the topics already given and on other issues (for example Ispra Site facilities and environment): don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s something YOU would like to follow: the more we are, the better we can work!

2.Communication: this element is and will remain a key-point for us. We’ve done our best in the last months to improve this aspect (e.g. by the several lunch break R&D Cafés, messages to our members, polls, etc..) but a lot more must be done. We are planning to employ new tools in order to be more effective and especially to get systematic feedback from you as R&D members. 
 
3.Identity: staff not involved in trade union’s activities aren’t always able to understand the difference between the functions of unions and the Local Staff Committee, and sometimes also between the unions themselves. We hope you as R&D members could always trust our positions and can clearly recognise the R&D trademark behind our actions, both at individual and political level. But it’s time to clarify what we offer and what we do. This naturally leads to the final point… 

4. Services: apart from R&D "traditional" activities such as language courses, training for open competitions (new courses coming soon…stay tuned!) and the R&D Cafès organised in the past months on different topics, you'll see us around with some new "events" dedicated to newly-recruited people and “old” colleagues.

Does all this stop here? NO! Our “to do list” will be ready and available in the upcoming weeks but we always need your input and suggestions! Only in this way can we be YOURstaff representatives. Tell us what's going on in your institutes, units and offices and important issues that concern you: we'll do our best to represent you and to raise your voice to make your rights count. So don't forget that our office is always open (building 63) and please feel free to pass by for more information, to give us your feedback or just for a chat!

Cost of Canteen services

19/07/2013
On Tuesday you should have received a broadcast from the Secretary of the Local Staff Committee Ispra/Seville about the notes sent from and received by the LSC during the last year. We would like to draw your attention in particular to a note on the topic of the canteen service: you may have noticed that the LSC provides the note sent (see link) but not the answer to this note from the OIB. We wonder if this is a deliberate or accidental omission because, in common with many of these documents, the note sent by the President of the LSC has never been discussed or approved, neither in the LSC plenary meeting nor within the Canteen Committee.

For the sake of completeness, we wish to provide you with the answer given by Mr Crandon – Head of Unit OIB Ispra – that was not disclosed in the message from the LSC.

We wish to make it clear that R&D Ispra does not support the position of the LSC President on this issue and you may also refer to our note sent last year to the attention of the President of the LSC after the position taken by a trade union in Ispra regarding a similar topic.

Contractual Agents: the effects of the Reform

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In our previous messages, we explained the changes that will be introduced from January 2014 with the reform of the Staff Regulations. One of those changes is the extension from 3 to 6 years of the maximum duration of the period of employment of the Contractual Agents type 3b within the Institutions.

Several Contractual Agents whose contract will end shortly contacted us to inquire about the possibility to work again for the Institutions once the reform has entered in force.

Most probably CAs whose contract ends in a period of time (6 months probably) close to the entry into force of the new staff regulations will have the possibility to keep their job and have another 3-year-contract. Former CAs who already had 3 years of contract within the institutions may have the possibility to work for other 3 years without taking part to a new EPSO test. Of course everything has to be settled in the negotiations related to new General Implementing Provisions (the rules governing the implementation of the Staff Regulations in each Institution) related to the recruitment of CAs. It is clear that these new regulations will only open possibilities, the agent must also fulfill the needs of the service, in other words, no contract extensions or renewals will be guaranteed.

Furthermore, it is expected that internal competitions may exceptionally be opened to Contract Agents FG II, III, IV but with tight restrictions (i.e. already having 3 years of service and with access only to certain kinds of competitions based on grade and function group). Only up to 5% out of the total amount of recruitments may come from these internal competitions.

Note that we give this information based on information currently known; more details and certainty will be obtained upon the revision of the General Implementing Provisions.

R&D Ispra will follow this file very closely in order to support the legitimate expectations of the Contractual Agents, and will be available to answer any questions you may have. In the meantime we recommend existing CA staff to discuss the options with their direct superior.
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