BELGIUM: EU commission staff go on strike against additional wage cuts ahead of a difficult European summit on the next multi-year budget

Record ID: 341004

  • Title: BELGIUM: EU commission staff go on strike against additional wage cuts ahead of a difficult European summit on the next multi-year budget
  • Date: 21st November 2012
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 21, 2012) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS SETTING UP SIGNS OUTSIDE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BUILDING PROTESTER HANDING OUT LEAFLETS ABOUT THE STRIKE EUROPEAN COUNCIL BUILDING AND COUNCIL STAFF JOINING STRIKE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BUILDING / PROTESTERS PROTESTER HOLDING EUROPEAN UNION FLAG PROTESTERS WITH EUROPEAN UNION FLAG AND TRADE UNION FLAGS PROTESTERS OUTSID
  • Embargoed: 6th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Economic News
  • Reuters ID: LVAVUY5NO6DQIODAA2KHFX59XRT
  • Story Text: EU Commission staff went on strike against wage cuts on Wednesday (November 21), one day before European leaders were set to meet for difficult negotiations on the future multi-year EU budget.
    Protesting EU employees gathered outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels to make their case against cuts that would add to reductions which have already been agreed. They also voiced their rejection of a European budget which they said would endanger cohesion and solidarity within the European Union.
    Iacono Ignazio, political secretary of the Union Syndicale which represents employees of EU institutions, said the strike was aimed at protecting the people of the EU.

    "We are striking... to protect the budget of the European institutions for the European citizens because the projects are focused on the European citizens. If we cut, we cut to them also," he told Reuters TV.
    Ignazio added that salary cuts went over and above those already agreed, which was unacceptable.
    Staff of the EU Council joined in the protest in front of the Commission headquarters during their lunch break but did not did not abandon work.
    On Tuesday their union representatives decided to call off the strike that would have disrupted preparations for Thursday's EU summit after Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, pledged to defend administrative spending against further cuts in a staff assembly.
    EU leaders are supposed to agree a multi-annual financial framework for 2014-20 at their meeting, with the Union's administrative spending certain to come under pressure.
    EU member states including France, Germany and the UK want cuts to administrative costs, including wages and pensions, insisting that in an age of austerity measures, EU staff should share the burden as well.
    The Commission, the EU's executive, and the European Parliament say they aim for green growth, green jobs and research to spur innovation by implementing better spending instead of eroding the budget with general reduction targets.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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