USF denounces contractual insecurity in European public services.
The Congress is convinced that a fair contract management policy, respectful of the rights enshrined in the European Social Charter and the relevant European directives, is the only guarantee of the competence, independence and permanence of the European public service, whose role, in view of the worrying trends developing in Europe, is today more necessary than ever.
USF condemns contractual insecurity, with a clear and growing trend towards fixed-term and temporary contracts in European public service organizations, under the pretext of flexibility and economic difficulties. What’s more, these contracts cover structural rather than temporary needs in terms of human resources.
This trend is leading to increasing contractual job insecurity in European public services, leaving a significant proportion of European civil servants vulnerable. Indeed, it affects their well-being at work (pressure to perform, blackmail to renew contracts, etc.). This in turn leads to a lack of cohesion within teams, and is detrimental to work performance in the broadest sense of the term. It is also important to remember that contractual insecurity undermines the attractiveness of the European public service.
Read the full Resolution on precariousness in the EPS.
