EU staff unions have announced plans to hold a demonstration outside the European Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters tomorrow (14 December) to protest against staff reform plans.

Pierre-Philippe Bacri, the president of the Federation of European Civil Servants, said the action was backed by all the staff unions and was being taken in protest at the expected adoption of the reform plans by the Commission today (13 December) in Strasbourg.

Bacri said the protest aimed to highlight the “value of the EU’s civil service” to the EU, especially as it tries to solve the eurozone’s debt crisis.

The Commission’s reforms aim to save €1 billion by 2020. They include cutting staff numbers by 5%, increasing working hours from 37.5 hours to 40 hours without compensation, increasing the normal retirement age from 63 to 65, and lowering the salaries of new secretarial and clerical staff by 18%.
The reforms also include a new salary adjustment system by which EU staff pay is set.

The unions are dismayed by the plans. They claim that the EU’s ability to carry out its work will be compromised. They also argue that they are being unfairly targeted because of austerity moves in member states.

In an open letter to EU leaders, the unions said they were “well aware” of the economic challenges faced by the EU, but said the proposed reforms contradicted goals to give EU institutions more powers under the Lisbon treaty. They urged the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament not to approve the reforms.

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They argued that the EU’s civil service was already smaller than most ministries in member states.

“We call on the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council to resist populist and demagogical attempts to devalue our European public administration,” the unions said.

Günther Lorenz, president of the Union Syndicale staff union, said efforts were already under way with member states and MEPs to discuss the reform plans and to dissuade them from giving their backing. He said the unions also wanted to explain their position with the Danish presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers before the Christmas break.

“We will see in the negotiations what will be the breaking point before deciding on strike action,” he said.