Gesprekken met kandidaat-eurocommissarissen vinden doorgang zonder protesten (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The hearings of the nominee EU commissioners by MEPs next week will go ahead without disruption after European Parliament chief Jerzy Buzek i indicated to staff unions that the assembly would sign up to a European Commission court case against member states over their blocking of a standard pay rise for EU officials.
The secretary general of the parliament, Klaus Welle, met union officials on Thursday (7 January) to make it clear that the parliament chief supported the line of the unions.
"[Mr Welle] gave a very strong message to the leadership of the unions that Mr Buzek was on their side," said a spokesperson for the president.
The parliament staff unions had previously threatened to disrupt the hearings of commissioners by staging protests in front of the meeting rooms if they did not get their way.
They wanted a public commitment of support from Mr Buzek for the European Commission's decision last week to challenge member states before court for refusing to accept a 3.7 percent rise in pay for EU officials, instead opting for a 1.85 percent wage hike amid the ongoing economic crisis.
The annual pay adjustment for EU staff, agreed by governments in 2004, is an automatic mechanism and is based on the average of the pay for civil servants in eight member states, including France, Germany, the UK and Italy, in the previous year. This year the wage issue became headline news as some countries baulked at agreeing a wage hike while many EU citizens are having to tighten their belts.
The commission, which has emphasized the legal nature of the dispute between itself and member states, on Wednesday said it would take the court route as member states were breaking EU rules. A similar case in 1973 saw the commission win.
EU staff, who staged protests in December, argue that the same mechanism will likely mean that their wages go down in 2011.
Tom Morgan, of the Syndicat General du Personnel des Organisations Europeennes, said unions were "very happy" with the parliament's support, adding that "after all it is not the parliament which is the bad guy in this."
As part of the commitment to the unions, Mr Buzek is next week expected to make a statement on the issue to parliament staff as well as discuss it with commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso i.
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