TITLE I - RECOGNITION OF TRADE UNIONS OR STAFF ASSOCIATIONS
Article 1 -
2 -
3 -
TITLE II - THE CONSULTATION AND CONCILIATION PROCEDURE
Article 4 -
5 -
6 -
7 -
8 -
TITLE III - RIGHTS AND RESOURCES GRANTED TO THE TRADE UNIONS OR STAFF ASSOCIATIONS TO FACILITATE THEIR ACTIVITIES
Article 9 -
10 -
11 -
12 -
13 -
14 -
15 -
16 -
17 -
18
TITLE IV - FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 19 -
The European Parliament, of the one part,
and
the trade unions or staff associations which are parties to this agreement, of the other part,
- having regard to Article 24a of the Staff Regulations of officials of the European Communities, which stipulates that 'officials shall be entitled to exercise the right of association; they may in particular be members of trade unions or staff associations of European officials';
- having regard to the importance of defining more clearly the nature of relations between Parliament and the trade unions or staff associations established within it, without prejudice to the decision-making powers conferred on the Authority;
- whereas the establishment of a dialogue between the Authority and the trade unions or staff associations can make a worthwhile contribution to social relations within the Institution, without prejudice to the powers conferred on the Staff Committee;
- whereas, without undermining the smooth functioning of Parliament's services, these trade unions and staff associations should be provided with resources intended to facilitate their activities;
have agreed as follows:
By signing this agreement, the European Parliament endorses the principle of the official recognition of the trade unions or staff associations which are signatories to this agreement and of those which will accede to it in the future.
The trade unions or staff associations which are signatories to this agreement, hereinafter referred to as 'the trade unions', declare that they:
(a) have as one of the objectives laid down in their statutes the defence of the interests and rights of all the staff members of the Institution;
(b) are organisations lawfully constituted as legal persons, exercising their activities on the basis of statutes and functioning in accordance with democratic principles, their policies being determined and their executive bodies elected by all their members;
(c) exercise their activities independently.
The trade unions may be grouped together in federations and be affiliated, either directly or indirectly, to international trade unions.
Consultation between the parties shall cover:
a. proposed modifications to the Staff Regulations and to the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants;
b. any significant modification to the general employment or working conditions of officials or other servants; the trade unions and the Staff Committee shall lay down by common agreement the cases covered by this paragraph;
c. matters of general interest, in keeping with the scope laid down in Article 7.
The consultation procedure shall be conducted in a manner consistent with the tasks and powers conferred on the Staff Committee by the Staff Regulations. One aim of the procedure shall be to promote the quality and effectiveness of industrial relations.
1. The consultation procedure shall enable the parties to set out and compare their respective positions with the aim of reaching common standpoints.
The trade unions shall be represented in the consultation procedure by an Inter-Trade Union Committee, whose composition and working methods they themselves shall lay down. The Staff Committee shall be involved in the consultation procedure. The trade unions and the Staff Committee undertake at all times to form a single delegation representing the staff.
In the cases provided for in paragraphs a and b of Article 4, the representatives of Parliament's authorities shall be appointed by the Secretary-General.
2. Consultation concerning modifications to the Staff Regulations shall take place during the preparations for meetings of the Staff Regulations Committee and of the College of Heads of Administration.
3. The consultation procedure shall be opened between the parties at the request of one or other of them; once a formal request has been submitted, meetings must be held within a maximum period of two weeks.
1. At the beginning of each annual parliamentary period (September) a general consultation meeting shall be held, which shall be convened by the President of Parliament.
2. In addition to the President of Parliament, that consultation meeting shall bring together representatives of all the trade unions which are signatories to this agreement, the Secretary-General and any other person designated by the President. Three representatives of the Staff Committee shall also be present at the meeting.
The parties undertake to lay down, in a protocol to be annexed to this agreement, a conciliation procedure to be employed in the event of a strike.
Tracts, letters and other communications issued by the trade unions may be posted on the noticeboards set up in the three places of work and may be distributed in the various buildings located in the three places of work by the internal mail services.
On request, and no more than twice a year, the addressograph service shall supply each trade union with envelopes bearing the administrative address of each official and other servant working for the Institution.
Senior members of the trade unions shall be excused normal duties in order to attend trade union meetings, provided that they have received an official invitation and their head of service or immediate superior has been informed in good time. In that connection, the trade unions undertake not to disrupt the smooth running of the Institution's services. Such meetings may be held on the Institution's premises.
Mission orders shall be issued to the trade unions in accordance with the following conditions:
(1) the trade unions shall be granted, for each calendar year, a quota of 80 mission days to be allocated among them by common agreement; any unused mission days may be carried over to the next year.
These missions shall cover travel to attend meetings of official trade union bodies in any of he three places of work. The delegates and official bodies shall tally with the lists of names and organisational structures forwarded to the Authority by the trade unions;
(2) the chairs of the trade unions or their representatives shall have the power to authorise missions by their delegates to attend interinstitutional meetings requiring their attendance;
(3) during the Staff Committee election campaign each trade union shall be granted an additional quota of 10 mission days over and above the ordinary quota awarded to them for their activities;
(4) mission orders shall be drawn up in accordance with the following procedure:
- each trade union shall forward to the Authority the names and specimen signatures of its members who are authorised to sign mission orders;
- mission orders must be signed by an authorised trade union member and by the person undertaking the mission; they shall be forwarded to the Payroll Unit for allocation;
- trade union members who are authorised to sign mission orders shall, by means of their signature, certify that their delegates have valid grounds for being absent from their normal duties. Mission orders shall be forwarded to the head of service or immediate superior of the person undertaking the mission at least two days prior to the start of the mission;
- the Payroll Unit shall keep a record of missions which it shall submit to the Director General of Personnel, the Budget and Finance three times a year.
The trade unions may be provided with interpretation services in accordance with the following conditions:
(1) The trade unions must submit requests for interpretation to the Interpretation Directorate at least six weeks in advance;
(2) Such requests must specify the nature of the meeting, the venue and the date; during the two weeks preceding the planned meeting the trade unions shall confirm or cancel their original request so that the Directorate-General for Administration can make appropriate arrangements;
(3) The use of interpretation services must be tailored to the specific constraints which apply in the places of work and during certain periods in the calendar of activities:
- in Luxembourg,
requests for interpretation are not subject to any specific conditions, provided that the standard procedure for submitting requests is complied with;
- in Brussels, the following arrangements shall apply:
- during normal working weeks (parliamentary committee meetings), interpreters can be provided only at the beginning and end of the week, on the Monday morning and the Friday afternoon;
- in the weeks preceding part-sessions, given the greater availability of interpreters a date may be agreed with the Interpretation Directorate;
- in Strasbourg,
the constraints which apply during part-sessions preclude the provision of interpreters;
(4) The interpreters made available shall provide simultaneous interpretation in three Community languages.
Subject to capacity being available in the services concerned, the trade unions may use the Secretariat's printing, distribution and audiovisual communication resources for activities relating to the implementation of this agreement and to inform staff about those activities.
1. Subject to the availability of staff and premises, and in connection with its activities under this agreement, each trade union which has held at least 15% of the seats on the Staff Committee during its last two terms of office shall be provided with:
(a) assistance, on a half-time basis, from an official or other servant of its choice, provided that suitable arrangements have been made to replace that official or other servant in the service to which he or she is posted;
(b) its own office in Luxembourg and a shared office in Strasbourg.
2. A trade union holding at least 5% of the seats on the Staff Committee shall be provided with an office in Luxembourg.
3. A trade union holding more that 50% of the seats on the Staff Committee shall be provided with twice the resources referred to in paragraph 1 of this article.
The trade unions may use the Secretariat's translation resources on the same basis as the Staff Committee, provided that they observe the priorities laid down by the Bureau.
Membership of a trade union or staff association, involvement in trade union activities or the holding of a trade union office may not serve to damage the professional situation or career development of the persons concerned in any way whatsoever.
General meetings of staff may be convened by one or more trade unions or staff associations in accordance with the procedure laid down by the staff themselves. The competent authority shall be informed in good time. Interpretation shall be provided in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 13.
This agreement shall be concluded for an indefinite period.
It may be revised at the request of one of the parties or if a new party accedes to it. Any modification shall require the approval of Parliament's authorities and all the trade unions.
Any trade union or staff association may accede to this agreement if the parties establish that it meets the conditions laid down in Article 2.
Done at Strasbourg, 12 July 1990
For the European Parliament:
The President
For the trade unions or staff associations:
Fédération de la Fonction Publique Européene FFPE
Syndicat des Fonctionnaires Internationaux et Européens SFIE
Syndicat Général du Personnel des Organisations Européennes SGPOE
Union Syndicale US-PE