USHU FLASH – A new Decision on function groups and job profiles: what could it mean for you?

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Sumeet Thakkar, Maja Vuckovic-Krcmar, Sunil Kumar, Helen Conefrey

The Administration is proposing a new Decision, establishing the function groups, job profiles and language requirements for Local Agents. Despite being presented as a technical update, USHU has examined it carefully and we believe you need to know what it could mean in practice.

Main observations on the proposed new Decision :

•  Replaces Decision ADMIN(2020) 20 and Decision ADMIN(2020) 17 with a single, new Decision.

•  Creates three new job profiles and renames five others. No profile is abolished.

• Merges the Budget/Accounts Assistant profile into the Administrative Assistant profile for colleagues working in Administration sections.

•  Raises the minimum language level for IT Assistants from B1 to B2.

What concerns us

•  The guarantee you have been given is not in the Decision. The new profiles will apply only to new contracts, or to existing contracts where you agree and sign an addendum and the Decision enters into force the day after signature, with no transitional provision. Guarantees should be provided in writing that it does not apply to those already in-service where higher requirements are proposed.

•  More work in the same function group. Where two profiles become one, you may be asked to carry the content of two posts with no change of group. USHU is concerned about overload and job intensification which is not realistic.

•  Nowhere to go if your work grows. Function Group I has covered accounting and information technology since 2020, yet there has never been an officer profile for administration, accounting or IT – and the draft does not create one.

• Fuzzy terminology. Group II is defined as covering work “foreseen for Group I but having lesser levels of responsibilities”. In our survey, 40% of Group II colleagues said they regularly perform three or more Group I duties so how will this be addressed?

•  Groups III and IV become ‘support staff’. These are indeed the two groups where our survey found the highest mismatch between duties and classification – 71% and 91%.

New job description – what should LAs do when confronted with proposed changes?

Several Local Agents already contacted USHU for advice as they indicated they are being asked to sign revised job descriptions. If this happens to you:

•  You do not have to sign on the spot.

•  Ask for the job description in writing, with your function group stated and the reasons for it.

•  Note the date you are formally notified. You have three months from that date – not from signature – to lodge an appeal under Article 28 of the Conditions of Employment.

•  If you do sign, you can sign for acknowledgement of receipt only, adding in writing that you do not accept that the duties correspond to your function group and that you reserve your rights.

•  Keep a copy of everything, including the role description as it was given to you.

•  Contact your Delegation Staff Representative

•  Contact USHU : REP-PERS-USHU@eeas.europa.eu

What we are doing

USHU has requested a social dialogue meeting before any new Decision is adopted, and requests the signature of revised job descriptions in Delegations to be suspended until that dialogue is concluded.

USHU  will keep you informed