Editorial : Un bilan d'étape pour le SEAE

Trois ans après sa création, le SEAE doit faire l'objet d'un bilan.

La création du SEAE a-t-elle fait entendre davantage la voix de l'Union européenne à l'extérieur? Un SEAE autonome a-t-il été plus efficace que si le nouveau service était resté lié à la Commission? Poser ces questions est aussi une manière d'y répondre.

Le bilan tenir compte de la triple mission de ce service:

La coordination des politiques de l'Union en matière de relations internationales a-t-elle amélioré leur visibilité et leur impact ?
La coordination de la réponse aux crises s'est-elle faite de manière efficace ?
L'élaboration des éléments de doctrine commune en matière de relations extérieures existe-t-elle et, si oui, permet-elle d'accroître le poids de l'Union à l'extérieur?

Ce bilan ne doit pas faire l'impasse sur l'organisation interne du service. La multiplication des niveaux hiérarchiques et l'accroissement des coûts qui en découle interpellent, sans parler de la bureaucratisation du travail.

L'arrivée massive de fonctionnaires des états membres ayant un droit prioritaire sur les postes de responsabilité a posé de nombreux problèmes. Leur horizon professionnel impose le retour dans leur capitale, avec toutes les interrogations que ceci suscite du point de vue du développement d'un esprit de fonction publique européenne au sein du SEAE.

Enfin, les moyens et l'attention accordés au dialogue social paraissent insuffisants. Un exemple pour illustrer ce sévère constat: il a fallu quatre ans aux syndicats regroupés au sein de Near (U4U, USHU, Conf-SFE, R&D) pour obtenir du plus haut niveau de la Commission et du SEAE , après plusieurs courriers restés sans réponse, la promesse d'un dialogue social sur la protection sociale des Agents Locaux (voir le document en fin de ce journal). Le moins que l'on puisse dire, c'est que l'on peut faire mieux.

Est-ce la bonne manière pour illustrer la promesse faite par Lady Ashton aux syndicats, de s'inspirer des meilleures pratiques en vigueur au sein de la fonction publique européenne ?

News from the Staff Committee plenary

(held on 14-18/10/2013)

The Staff Committee plenary is the opportunity, twice a year, to discuss current staff issues with the administration in a structured and formal way. Besides the very unfortunate distraction offered by other Unions who thought it was another window opportunity to distract the Committee from its mission by launching internal fighting through a motion of censure that eventually was defeated, the outcome of this session has been again once more disappointing!

In a nutshell, this reflects the content of the answers provided by the administration to questions related to new staff regulation and burning issues:

For staff in Delegation:

Trainings will be held before or after annual leave.
Housing policy, Rest Leave and Home Leave
No support will be provided by the administration to the officials on rotation in finding accommodation. Any disputes with the landlord shall be the responsibility of the official.
Travel Expenses shall be reimbursed at a flat rate payment based on the cost of air travel in the class immediately superior to economy class. Flat rate includes transit visas, local transfer costs and excess luggage.
Rest leave locations will be decided by the appointing authority. Travel will be by Economy class.
Any disputes related to the removal shall be the responsibility of an official.
Removal expenses for the vehicle at the discretion of the administration.
Ceilings will be put on expenses for storage of the furniture.
Maximum rest leave set to 15. 2 travel days per rest leave. Wherever possible, rest leave must be combined with training.
2.5 days of home leave if the distance from the place of posting is less than 10000 Km.
3 days home leave if the distance from the place of posting is more than 10000 km.

Contract Agents

The reclassification exercise for 2011 started in October 2012 and still not complete. Only 10% CAs promoted. This means that it will take at least 10 years for CA to get a promotion.
No clear plan for CA mobility.
No clear plan for CAs to have access to the internal competition.
Budget is never available for training in third language for CAs.
EEAS will start hiring CAs without an EPSO test.

Local Agents:

New Vade mecum ('new' meaning almost systematically 'less favourable')
New framework rules
New Specific Conditions of employment
New Salary Method
No pension
No post-retirement medical benefits,
No reclassification
No Access to the EEAS building

In short, no substantive social dialogue !

For all these reasons, NEAR remains as mobilised as ever to negotiate the implementation rules for the new staff regulations, together with Colleagues from the Commission. We'll keep you informed as soon as tangible results are achieved.

The new actions proposed by the Near's trade unions

However, thanks to a growing mobilisation of YOU, the Staff, NEAR continues promoting constructive initiatives:

• Annex X: NEAR is not only criticising, it is making concrete and reasonable proposal to reduce damage to staff. During the political dialogue to take place, NEAR will ask for special leave days for staff in Delegation (modalities of course to be negotiated). Comparisons with employment conditions in third countries of Member states staff is striking, the new system will be the worse! Furthermore, NEAR is exploring with partners in the Commission as ways to attack the new staff regulation as a whole on its legality once published for lack of consultation of the Staff Committee, or on parts of it and the one concerning Annex X certainly qualifies for such an action.

• Work to rule: As more than 45 Delegations joined the movement launched by CAs on their own initiative, NEAR strongly support their legitimate claims. EEAS administration has recently reminded that CAs have to fulfil their obligations and NEAR is checking some of them, for example the "permanence" duty the CAs are fulfilling in delegations like Officials. NEAR is having a hard time finding applicable rules and the staff regulation basis. Moreover, in a number of delegations, CAs have already stopped doing this, meaning does not seem to correspond to legal obligations, at least they no uniformity in application. Another important area where many CAs are still involved is working instead of officials, like heads of Sections, for examples. This is not legal either and call the administration to stick to its own plea to fulfil its own obligations as well.

• Petition launched in the Commission and the EEAS for Contract Agents: to obtain the implementation of the promises made during the negotiation of the new rules, regarding the organisation of internal competition for those already employed for at least three years, the revision of the anti-cumul rules, the reemployment of unemployed CAs who past the CAST, mobility and personnel policy.

• Social dialogue for Local Agents: NEAR has again requested the EEAS Administration to call on the social dialogue meeting to discuss the issues related to Local Agents as soon as possible on the dossiers mentioned above, for which replies have been expected now for years. Each time, NEAR reminded the administration about this request, the reply is the same: "we are preparing an answer…" Well, if it takes years for the administration to talk to the trade unions, maybe we can find other ways, with your support!

Please note already that NEAR will organise a videoconference/web streaming to consult you on our next steps on 25 November 2013.

Annexe X: Proposition commune des syndicats au sujet des DGEs

La proposition syndicale commune sur le nombre de jours supplémentaires est actuellement la suivante, y incluant un coup de pouce supplémentaire aux ACs:

Home leave - anciennement délai de route - : les OSP proposent l’octroi de quatre jours pour une distance inférieure à 5000km, 6 jours au-delà ;
Congé spécial : compte tenu des difficultés inhérentes à une affectation hors Union européenne, un congé spécial de 6 jours visant à permettre aux agents de faire toutes démarches administratives, médicales, familiales etc, lors de leur retour en Europe soit au siège, soit à leur lieu d’origine.
Les Agents contractuels 3bis, qui ont vocation à une carrière à l’intérieur des institutions de la même façon que les fonctionnaires, doivent également pouvoir bénéficier de jours de congé supplémentaires liés au grade. C’est pourquoi les OSP proposent
- 3 jours dans les grades 16 à 18 (GF IV)
- 2 jours dans les grades 11-12 (GF III) et 15 (GF IV)
- 1 jour dans les grades 3 (GFI) et 7 (GFII)

… et possible action contentieuse plus globale contre la publication du nouveau Statut du personnel

Les syndicats composant Near You ont consulté un avocat pour examiner les possibles voies de recours contre la publication du nouveau Statut. L’un des moyens envisagé concerne la violation de l’obligation d’information et de consultation des partenaires sociaux, telle qu’elle découle du Statut lui-même, de la Charte des droits fondamentaux et d’autres textes (accord-cadre…) ou éléments de jurisprudence.

Ceci sans préjudice des moyens de fonds, tels que l’égalité de traitement, les droits acquis, etc…

L'angle d’attaque est de contester des pans de la réforme. Cette approche, faite à la fois au nom du syndicat et d’individus lésés, permet de combiner différents moyens juridiques de forme et de fonds. Elle offre une meilleure garantie de succès.

Les domaines sur lesquels une action pourrait être entreprise sont : (liste non limitative) :

Annexe X
Plafonnement des carrières AST et AD
Création de la carrière AST/SC
Modification du régime des retraites
Prélèvement de crise sans méthode

Document: Réponse du président de la Commission et de la Vice-présidente/Haute représentante aux demandes faites par Near au sujet des AL

"Dear colleagues.
Reference is made to your letters dated 25 June 2013 and 23 September 2013 entitled 'Social Security system for the Local Agents in Delegations', The delay in sending this reply is sincerely regretted. The EEAS and the Commission value the important work which local agents contribute towards achieving the objectives pursued by its Delegations. They indeed constitute an essential category of staff.

A system of social security comprising a 'Provident Fund' and a 'Complementary Sickness Insurance' (CSISLA) was created in 1996; these schemes were set up in recognition of the fact that the local market employment conditions sometimes result in insufficient or nonexistent social protection. These schemes provide complementary cover when the local system is considered insufficient or primary cover when the local system does not exist.

At the time of the creation of these two schemes. Article 14 of the Framework rales laying down the conditions of employment of local staff already called for their setting up, however, Article 121 of the Conditions of employment of other servants (CEOS) did not provide a sufficiently clear legal basis. This is the reason why Article 121 CEOS was amended in 2010 although, in fact, the schemes to implement this Article were already in existence at the time.

Article 121 CEOS requires the implementation of EU social security schemes only "where coverage by the local system either does not exist or is insufficient". The Eli has so far applied these complementary schemes in as many as 134 out of a total of 141 delegations. It is therefore clear that the EU has already implemented Article 121 CEOS by ensuring a very wide coverage of the social rights of local agents in Delegations.

The time is right to engage in social dialogue on local agent issues in the forum of the EEAS Social Dialogue meetings held for this purpose, where further clarification on the implementation of Article 121 CEOS can be provided and broader issues relating to local agents in Delegations can be discussed."

See the original letter of NEAR and this answer here : http://eurotradeunion.eu/HUCLP.htm

12/11/2013
Editeur : G. Vlandas - Equipe de rédaction : F. Kopp, M.-A. Maurer, B. Soret, J.-P. Soyer, S. Thakkar