Dimitrije Stanković
It was on one cold winter night in Brussels in 2009 when three of us – Victoria Davydova, Driss Eskalli and myself Dimitrije Stankovic, local agents in Ukraine, Morrocco and Serbia respectively – decided to create a new trade union – a trade union with a difference that would cater for the needs of staff in EU Delegations. After a decade of staff representation and active involvement in trade unions based in Brussels, we knew the time was ripe to establish a new trade union that would focus on the problems of ALL staff categories in Delegation. All Brussels-based trade unions active at that time – and this has unfortunately not changed so much in the meantime - were predominantly dealing with the issues related to officials working at the main Commission centres based in the EU such as Brussels, Luxembourg, Ispra. To some extent, this was logical given that Delegation staff are a minority; we were not so much forgotten or rejected but it was clear that the specific problems in Delegations were not a priority for trade unions working in the major EU centres who had their own issues to deal with. From their perspective, Delegations looked like something exotic and colourful but not really worth much attention – and we needed to change this…
Did we succeed? Well, I strongly believe that we did and that USHU has managed to reverse this unfavourable situation by becoming a well-known and credible trade union at the Commission – and subsequently at the EEAS. We managed to get the attention of our colleagues in Delegations but also those working in Brussels. Over the past 15 years, we have become a strong union that successfully represents all staff – Officials, Temporary Agents, Contract Agents, Local Agents - in Delegations all over the world. We have an impressive number of members which is rising daily. Certainly the best indicator of our success, are results in elections where in several rounds since establishment USHU, we have managed to get the highest number of votes in order to lead the “Outside the EU” (CLP HU) Section. This is a clear sign of the trust that you, colleagues working in Delegations, have in USHU.
And this does not come as a surprise as we have been very active in numerous negotiations held with the Administration, discussions with them and other trade unions, exchange of views that later led to agreements. The important aspect in all of these negotiations is that our voice – and your voice – is being heard on a regular basis. Of course, it is not that USHU has achieved all that we intended. The very fact that you know that there is a group of committed colleagues working to strongly defend your interests whilst the Administration recognises that it is sitting in front of a serious partner in negotiations gives us great satisfaction. And responsibility.
The battle for improved working conditions never truly ends. We know that there are many issues that still need to be addressed. We are fully aware of the need to do more and also aware of the complexity of the issues we deal with that are often seen differently in different parts of the world and by different categories of staff. Not all issues are equally important for all – and we hope to have your understanding on this as we aim to advocate for improvements for all.
We are proud to see your support for the efforts and results that USHU has achieved so far and we expect to jointly do much more for you in the future. Your support gives us the necessary strength and willpower to continue!
I will end by saying that we in USHU are like a big family!
Since my retirement three years ago I have stayed in touch with the dear colleagues leading USHU now – still having that feeling of sharing common values while seeing them fighting for common goals.
Let’s stay together in order to achieve even more in the future!
Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Dimitrije Stanković
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