Union ‘crystal ball’ defeats Kinnock

Date: 18/04/02

By David Cronin

INTERNAL reform chief Neil Kinnock admits he cannot explain why one of the European Commission's staff unions can predict which officials will fill key vacancies in its services.

Militant union Renouveau et Démocratie (R&D) frequently writes to commissioners claiming its 'crystal ball' tells it who will net particular jobs in the institution. Although its letters claim complete accuracy - and point to previous cases where it has successfully predicted who will win key posts - they generally do not name the officials likely to secure promotion.

Replying to a recent parliamentary question on the R&D predictions, Kinnock said: 'About 270 management vacancies were filled at the Commission in 2001. The Commission understands that on some - but not all - of those occasions the union claimed to know who the successful candidate would be. However, as the organisation did not publish details, the Commission is unable to determine whether the guesses proved to be correct.'

R&D President Franco Ianniello said his union's predictions simply reflect the general gossip within the Commission's services, adding he did not believe the reforms that Kinnock is supervising would replace the old practice of reserving certain posts for officials of particular nationalities with a new career advancement system based on merit.

But Kinnock defended the appointment rules the Commission published in December 2000, saying: 'The Commission follows those rules and procedures with the intention of ensuring that those appointed to management positions have high qualification and a good record of performance in management.'

Internal Reform Commissioner Neil Kinnock admits he cannot explain why one of the European Commission's staff unions can predict which officials will fill key vacancies in its services.