On Friday 15 June, the European Parliament's unions announced that the action of interrupting the interpretation service for one to two hours would be continued until at least 11 July.
These interruptions, which have already disrupted the internal meetings of the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week (see EUROPE 12039), will this time affect the activities of the European Parliament's committees on the following dates: 19, 20, 26 and 27 June, and 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11 July.
The Parliament's employment and social affairs committee will hear the interpreters' representatives during the afternoon of Tuesday 19 June. The objective is "to show our solidarity" with the collective action, Claude Rolin MEP (EPP, Belgium) told EUROPE. In Rolin's view, the MEPs, among whom are many unionists, will make the message that a solution developed via "social consultation" is needed as quickly as possible climb to the higher levels of the European Parliament, a European institution that "has signed the Social foundation and the Rome Declaration".
Since the start of the conflict on Tuesday 5 June (see EUROPE 12038), no real consultation has taken place. The unions deplore the lack of direct contact with the close circles of European Parliament President Antonio Tajani or Secretary General Klaus Welle.
According to the European Parliament administration, the unions and administration spoke about the conflict at a regular meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday, which it described as "constructive". During this meeting, the Parliament administration reportedly made proposals that the interpreters' representatives are due to study with a view to new discussions to be conducted in July.
But a union source spoke on Thursday of a text including both progress and steps backwards, comparing it to "Penelope's cloth". In the opinion of this source, a compromise proposal from the administration is expected before the summer.
Determined to continue the action, which they say is followed by 80% of personnel, the interpreters will publish a counter-argument to Welle's "propaganda". On Monday he gave his version of the advantages of a reform of the interpreters' working conditions, during the meeting of the Parliament's Bureau. According to those taking strike action, Welle is a liar to say that their representatives have three times put an end to the ongoing negotiations.
Welle also gives "a very biased version of the profession", this union source said, adding that if the working conditions had been improved as much as Welle said, the interpreters would be crazy to strike.
For example, it is dishonest to say the European Parliament's interpreters are at an advantage in comparison with their counterparts at the Commission – because there are three to an interpreting booth at the Parliament when at the Commission there are two. It is simply an issue of simultaneous coverage of 22 languages at the Parliament and of fewer than 7 at the Commission.
The administration's presentation can be found at: shorturl.at/bHWZ3. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)