Brussels, 22/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - Commissioner Neil Kinnock has responded firmly to the call for a demonstration on Wednesday launched by the four trade unions hostile to the planned reform of the European civil service. He said that contrary to what various trade unions were saying, reform would improve career opportunities and staff working condition, and their representatives and officials have understood that, adding that the people calling the demonstration had been opposing any attempt at reform since well before the first outlines were sketched out and were hiding in the past and hoping to protect themselves from reality.
The four trade unions in question (R&D, FFPE, TAO-AFI and SFIE) criticise the Commissioner's presentation of swinging changes to Staff Regulations, which they claim would lead to the following excesses: "under the pretext of decentralising powers", a strong "personalisation of power at Director General level" making the latter masters of staff assessment, promotion and appointment to middle management jobs; the proposed new career structure is described as linear but its true objective is to meet the oft-repeated request by certain Member States for a cut in salary; without negotiating with members of staff, the Commission wants to put new Staff Regulations on the table of the Council and thereby open the door to separate forms of management.