Computers blamed for registration difficulties

By David Cronin

Date: 17/11/05

Computer problems have been blamed for difficulties that prevented candidates for EU recruitment competitions from registering for examinations.

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) said yesterday (16 November) that it had resolved the difficulties which arose when too many people tried to register online. Nearly 29,000 people had been told that they were eligible to sit tests to become contractual agents between late November and mid-January.

EPSO's Director Erik Halskov said that the computer system had "all of a sudden become overloaded". After examining the problems, EPSO has had a smoother registration system this week, he said, with around 2,000 people successfully registering yesterday (16 November). If necessary, the registration deadline of 27 November could be extended by a further week, he added.

Last Thursday (10 November), some Commission staff went on strike over employment conditions for contractual agents.

The stoppage was called by two staff unions, Union Syndicale and Confédération Syndicale Européene (SFE), to protest at how staff already working on fixed-term contracts would have to sit EPSO tests if they wish to have contracts for an indefinite period.

Hans Torrekens from SFE maintained that the strike had a good turnout. Around 1,500 participated in Brussels, he estimated, representing 60% of the 2,400 contract agents. Many agents working for the Commission in its delegations to non-EU countries also stopped work, he added.

A Commission spokesperson said that 560 staff had registered as being on strike. A delegation of the strikers had been told that no reopening of the package agreed with the majority union grouping was possible and that the requirement for existing contract agents to pass an appropriate EPSO test before having the opportunity to move to contracts of open duration was not negotiable.

Article reports on computer problems at the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) which were blamed for difficulties that prevented candidates for EU recruitment competitions from registering for examinations. Article also reports that some European Commission staff went on strike over employment conditions for contractual agents on 10 November 2005.