Dancing while Athens (Rome/Lisbon etc) Burns

Every now and again I have a go at the Eurocrat Trade Unions. This load of self-satisfied, publicly-subsidised parasites just get up my nose. The feeling I am sure is mutual as this page on one of the Unions websites' makes clear,

Hoaxes about European Civil Servants are often circulated as a weapon against the European Union. Civil servants are scapegoats in this war waged by eurosceptics. They are pictured as incompetent, no good, pampered, lazy, arrogant, useless fat cats, parasites and so on and so forth

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This is from the Website of the Union for Unity. They describe themselves thusly,

We want to work for the dignity of European officials and agents, to defend all those men and women without which European integration would never have been possible, and without which its future is threatened.

But why would anybody think that these people are in any way the "incompetent, no good, pampered, lazy, arrogant, useless fat cats, parasites" we might think them to be? Could it be because they organise events like this in the middle of the Financial Crisis that is eating its way across the continent and devouring lives, livelihoods, jobs, hopes and aspirations?

Fête
pour une Europe solidaire

Festival on 3 March 2012 in the Berlaymont from 19hrs to 1 o'clock

19h à 19h30 accueil avec un verre - welcome

19h30 à 20h45 concert Olla Vogala

20h45 à 21h45 buffet

21h45 à 1h soirée dansante - dancing floor

How could anybody think they were out of touch?

Is it any wonder that the people of Europe hold Eurocrats in contempt

This self serving rubbish is what gets up people's noses.

Letter to the College from the Commission Staff.

Subject: The new Staff Regulations

We, the co-workers of the European Commission, are deeply worried by the risk of reducing the dynamic of the European cooperation.

In the current crisis, European countries cannot weaken their main policy and operational tool to design effective countermeasures. The European Union is the only obvious credible force because it is the only structure which can bring solutions at the same scale than the problems faced. If each country is logically preoccupied by the future of its own citizens, no Member States would be sincerely ready to go and fight alone this global battle.

In order to ensure the best possible defence, the European Union needs powerful institutions, capable of competing with the other actors challenging our socio-economic standards. In this context, we can accept to show our concrete solidarity, even if this is insignificant economically, in order to send a positive political message, but we refuse to change the working conditions of the institutions personnel in a way that would jeopardise their strength and quality of action. The quality of the human resources, which is directly related to the attractiveness of the working conditions, is essential for building a powerful and proactive Europe, capable of resisting the continuous attack of its model.

We therefore fully support the resolution adopted on 9 November by the Interinstitutional General Assembly of the personnel gathered by the Common Front of Unions and invite the College to reach a compromise with the Common Front, with a view to presenting to the legislator an agreed balanced and fair regulation, safeguarding the independence and highest quality of the European Public Function.

Or in other words, we want more pay and better perks because we the Trade Unions of the most coddled public sector workers in the Western World are the only bulwark against barbarianism - or the great unwashed public who should just shut up and pay more taxes.

What is interesting is I have had a number of requests from people within the Eurocrat world asking me to publicise this letter.

Because I am worth it

I see that the ECJ has just given me a pay rise. It amounts to 3.7% and I understand that the reasoning is that the Council cannot cut my rises. It is in the treaty after all.

The thing is, this pay rise for me and thousands of Eurocrats (including of course the Judges who made the decisison) blows a gaping hole in the famous EU budget decision.

You see this pay rise is not included in the 2.9% so painstakingly agreed by the Council. Mr Cameron's rather battered piece of paper has just been torn to shreds.

It is now EU law thanks to the costumed chaps in Luxembourg that I get my pay rise.

Better still, the internal trade unions are getting very excited about how they are abatting les EU proles, they are now demanding that it is back dated.... and that I get the interest on the money,

Le SFIE maintient ce recours en rappelant qu'il a, en outre, demandé l'application complète de l'adaptation des salaires (3,7 %) ainsi que les intérêts de retard.

As the Eye might say... Trebles all round.