Today, colleagues at the European Parliament face very concrete issues: working conditions, workload, harassment, mental health, career development, precarious employment, Luxembourg’s attractiveness, housing, teleworking and adapting to artificial intelligence.

For Union Syndicale Luxembourg, it is not enough to identify problems. We must propose solutions, defend colleagues when they face injustice, and be able to take concrete action.

Our objective is simple: a European Parliament that applies to its own staff the values it publicly promotes.

1. A safe, respectful and healthy workplace

Our vision is a workplace where every colleague feels safe, respected and able to speak up without fear.

A healthy working environment cannot exist when colleagues live in fear of harassment, retaliation, professional isolation or excessive workload.

We welcome the initiatives already put in place by the European Parliament, including the “United against Harassment” campaign and the “Mind Matters” programme. But awareness-raising campaigns alone are not enough.

We want to go further.

 2. Harassment: genuinely protecting colleagues

We want:

  • better identification of hidden or difficult-to-prove forms of harassment;
  • effective protection of victims and witnesses against retaliation;
  • faster and more transparent procedures;
  • consideration of the use of truly independent investigators, with no hierarchical or institutional links to the people concerned;
  • genuine support for colleagues throughout the procedure.

No one should have to choose between reporting an unacceptable situation and protecting their career.

 3. Mental health and work-related stress

Work-related stress is not an individual problem that can be solved through resilience or meditation alone.

Its causes must also be addressed: workload, staff shortages, reorganisations, conflicts, professional uncertainty and poor management practices.

We support:

  • the development of programmes to prevent stress and burnout;
  • easy and confidential access to psychological support;
  • the continuation and development of initiatives such as Mind Matters;
  • spaces where colleagues can rest and recharge;
  • better prevention before fatigue and stress become long-term health problems.

Well-being must be genuinely protected, not merely proclaimed.

 4. More attractive and fairer careers

The European Parliament must offer genuine career opportunities to all categories of staff.

In particular, we want:

  • faster promotion in the lower grades;
  • greater transparency in recruitment, promotion, certification and management selection procedures;
  • more accessible career opportunities for contract and temporary staff;
  • voluntary mobility that is genuinely a choice;
  • longer and more stable contracts wherever possible;
  • a fairer distribution of promotion opportunities and posts between services;
  • consideration of tools such as 360-degree feedback to improve the quality of management.

A European career should be motivating, predictable and financially sustainable.

5. Young colleagues and trainees deserve a real future

The European Parliament must remain capable of attracting young talent.

To achieve this, it must offer more than a first contract or a traineeship.

We want:

  • better career prospects for colleagues at the beginning of their careers;
  • greater opportunities to participate in internal competitions and progress;
  • mentoring programmes;
  • genuine support for trainees;
  • consideration of the specific difficulties related to housing, particularly in Luxembourg;
  • greater transparency regarding recruitment opportunities after a traineeship;
  • development of reverse mentoring, allowing younger colleagues to share their digital skills and experience with more experienced colleagues.

The future of the European Parliament also depends on its ability to attract, develop and retain a new generation of staff.

 6. Artificial intelligence and digital skills

Artificial intelligence is already transforming the way we work.

This transformation must not be imposed on staff without proper support.

We call for:

  • training accessible to all colleagues;
  • an assessment of the impact of AI on jobs and skills;
  • continuous support to enable staff to adapt;
  • a genuine strategy for knowledge-sharing between generations.

AI should become a tool serving staff, rather than an additional source of uncertainty.

 7. A better work-life balance

Colleagues are also parents, family carers and people with responsibilities outside work.

We want an organisation of work that recognises this reality.

Our priorities include:

  • greater flexibility for parents and carers;
  • better consideration of the specific needs of single parents;
  • maintaining and developing teleworking within a balanced framework;
  • consideration of arrangements such as time credits, enabling colleagues to better organise their working time and leave;
  • better recognition of situations where a sick child or family responsibility genuinely requires a colleague’s presence.

A good work-life balance benefits not only families, but the organisation as a whole.

8. A working environment genuinely adapted to staff needs

Well-being also depends on the material conditions in which we work.

We want to defend:

  • a reasonable limit on the number of people sharing an office;
  • spaces where colleagues can work or make confidential calls;
  • better ergonomics, including sit-stand workstations;
  • ergonomic support for teleworking;
  • quiet and recovery areas;
  • appropriate shared facilities, including kitchenettes;
  • greater access to drinking water;
  • the development of accessible sports activities during working hours.

In particular, we would like Luxembourg sports facilities to be used more flexibly, including by exploring the possibility of hosting more activities and external coaches.

9. Luxembourg must remain attractive

The European Parliament needs an attractive Luxembourg in order to recruit and retain its staff.

But this attractiveness cannot be taken for granted.

Housing costs, mobility conditions and career opportunities directly affect the ability of the European institutions to attract and retain talent.

We will therefore continue to defend:

  • better housing conditions and better information for newcomers;
  • initiatives supporting first-time buyers;
  • better mobility between places of work;
  • attractive career prospects in Luxembourg;
  • a fair distribution of posts and opportunities between Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.

 10. Fair remuneration and defending staff rights

Union Syndicale Luxembourg does not merely defend principles.

We are prepared to support colleagues facing legal problems or situations of unequal treatment when a case has a broader significance for staff as a whole.

We have supported, and continue to follow, cases concerning:

  • pension rights of contract and temporary staff;
  • remuneration conditions for the lowest-paid categories of staff;
  • equal treatment and purchasing power for staff in Luxembourg;
  • rights relating to health insurance and accidents.

Trade union action must be capable of turning an individual problem into a collective improvement in staff rights.

11. More modern and democratic staff representation

Staff elections and the functioning of the Staff Committee must also evolve.

We want to open a debate on:

  • modernising electoral procedures;
  • greater use of electronic voting;
  • improving staff participation;
  • organising meetings across the different places of work;
  • local representation that better reflects the realities of Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.

The Staff Committee must be visible, accessible and capable of effectively representing all staff.