Oh, how the greedy are fallen...

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

Oh, how the greedy are fallen... it seems as if, in this climate of wage cuts, the Eurocrats (in the truest meaning of this word) are ready to strike to defend their right to a RAISE in January. The fact is that said raise would not be discarded -- only delayed by a few months -- but, as they say, "United in Plutocracy" -- so much for the "servant" part of "civil servant", eh?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-pay-rise.html

Employees of the European Council - the body that represents the 27 member states - will stop work for four hours.
The stoppage will involve a demonstration within the building that houses the EU summits and will call on national governnts to "respect the rules" governing EU staff pay awards.
About 38,000 EU staff are in line for the pay rise - even as the bloc is ordering member states to bolt down public budgets.
However, a majority of member states including Britain oppose the raise and have moved to block it.
It was drawn up by statiticians measuring living costs in eight EU states. However there are also various allocations and bonuses depending on family circumstances and staff, who are considered expatriates, pay less social security contributions and income tax than other employees in Belgium.
While all member states must ratify the award, payment of the rise is held to be a virtual certainty because the EU as employer is contractually bound to implement the findings of an annual pay review.
The increase is due on Jan 1 and would be backdated to July.

Well, here's hoping that they'll be able to afford some more Beluga caviar to stuff down their gaping maws.

In other news, while the Eurocrats are whigning over their moniez, Greece's premier, Papandreou, is facing a tough decision. The wise Eurocrats in Brussels have mandated that he cut and freeze wages in Greece, one of the fringe countries most affected by the EMU's tyranny. The draconian cuts proposed by Brussels to Papandreou could precipitate a nation-wide crisis -- what do the Greeks on TWC think? Will Greece bow down to Brussels' will? Will we see riots and strikes?

[Dr Zoidberg]

And of course you would happily sit by while a previously agreed upon pay-rise was taken away from you, right?

As a public servant (not European mind you) with a mortgage, car loan, continually-rising CPI and interest rates, I can tell you, that those 2% pay-increases every few years are welcome relief.

[Exarch]

And of course you would happily sit by while a previously agreed upon pay-rise was taken away from you, right?

As a public servant (not European mind you) with a mortgage, car loan, continually-rising CPI and interest rates, I can tell you, that those 2% pay-increases every few years are welcome relief.

i knew it
you are simon crean lol

[Poach]

I agree with the doctor, I can't see anyone standing idly by whilst a previously agreed to payrise was taken away from them.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

These cuts are being dished out almost universally throughout the member states, and yet the overpaid Brussels bureaucracy -- whose main organs dictated these very same cuts -- doesn't want to be treated like the member states' civil servants? Smacks of double standards if you ask me.

Of course, I'm quite chuffed at them being on strike -- I'd even pay them to stay on strike for the rest of their lives.

[Poach]

I'm not advocating they be exempt from cuts, Jones, merely observing that any employee, from any branch of government or private company, would complain over a cancellation of a previously agreed to wage rise.

I'm aware these freezes are necessary and that they're getting the same treatment as government employees.

[Gaidin]

Hehehe, I remember what happened in the car companies when the employees refused to accept raise cuts.

What a day.

[Erik]

Employees of the European Council - the body that represents the 27 member states - will stop work for four hours.

Oh noooos! They are going to stop wasting my hard earned money for 4 hours!
What ever will we do.

[Dr. Croccer]

Employees of the European Council - the body that represents the 27 member states - will stop work for four hours.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

Oh, how the greedy are fallen... it seems as if, in this climate of wage cuts, the Eurocrats (in the truest meaning of this word) are ready to strike to defend their right to a RAISE in January. The fact is that said raise would not be discarded -- only delayed by a few months -- but, as they say, "United in Plutocracy" -- so much for the "servant" part of "civil servant", eh?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-pay-rise.html



Well, here's hoping that they'll be able to afford some more Beluga caviar to stuff down their gaping maws.

In other news, while the Eurocrats are whigning over their moniez, Greece's premier, Papandreou, is facing a tough decision. The wise Eurocrats in Brussels have mandated that he cut and freeze wages in Greece, one of the fringe countries most affected by the EMU's tyranny. The draconian cuts proposed by Brussels to Papandreou could precipitate a nation-wide crisis -- what do the Greeks on TWC think? Will Greece bow down to Brussels' will? Will we see riots and strikes?

You have no idea what you are talking about

Employees of the European Council - the body that represents the 27 member states - will stop work for four hours.
The stoppage will involve a demonstration within the building that houses the EU summits and will call on national governnts to "respect the rules" governing EU staff pay awards.
About 38,000 EU staff are in line for the pay rise - even as the bloc is ordering member states to bolt down public budgets.
However, a majority of member states including Britain oppose the raise and have moved to block it.
It was drawn up by statiticians measuring living costs in eight EU states. However there are also various allocations and bonuses depending on family circumstances and staff, who are considered expatriates, pay less social security contributions and income tax than other employees in Belgium.
While all member states must ratify the award, payment of the rise is held to be a virtual certainty because the EU as employer is contractually bound to implement the findings of an annual pay review.
The increase is due on Jan 1 and would be backdated to July.

The bolded part relates to my familly (well it did, my mother is retired now) With my dissability, without the bonus of being 100% insured my parents would have been ruined financially by all the medical bills, in fact if it hadn't been for the EU being my healthcare untill I die, I'd never have a child by now. I'd have killed myself long ago because I'd be in a situation where I'd be either dirt poor because of medical bills, or locking myself up inside ensuring I can't slip and break any bones to avoid medical costs.

And my parents never had Caviar etc...

Seriously some of you bashers, should think twice, also less social security costs, less taxes in Belgium is something that all dissabled and elderly get, I'm 80% disabled and get a special tarif for energy, pay less taxes, receive an alowance etc.. And you now what? Life would be impossble for me without that, as I'm often stuck at home not able to work or go to school etc... For instance, since september 1 I'm still in a weelchair with 2 broken legs and haven't been outside more then 3 times, and I won't be walking around any time soon.

For families in the comission who have disabled or ill relatives these extra's are a necessity

Still people never shy away to call me and others who receive extra's "lucky", "Greedy", "spoiled" etc... because all they see is the extra's.

It's easy to call the employees of the comission greedy etc... but in the end they are people like everyone else witht heir own familly problems

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

The bolded part relates to my familly (well it did, my mother is retired now) With my dissability, without the bonus of being 100% insured my parents would have been ruined financially by all the medical bills, in fact if it hadn't been for the EU being my healthcare untill I die, I'd never have a child by now. I'd have killed myself long ago because I'd be in a situation where I'd be either dirt poor because of medical bills, or locking myself up inside ensuring I can't slip and break any bones to avoid medical costs.

And my parents never had Caviar etc...

Seriously some of you bashers, should think twice, also less social security costs, less taxes in Belgium is something that all dissabled and elderly get, I'm 80% disabled and get a special tarif for energy, pay less taxes, receive an alowance etc.. And you now what? Life would be impossble for me without that, as I'm often stuck at home not able to work or go to school etc... For instance, since september 1 I'm still in a weelchair with 2 broken legs and haven't been outside more then 3 times, and I won't be walking around any time soon.

For families in the comission who have disabled or ill relatives these extra's are a necessity

Still people never shy away to call me and others who receive extra's "lucky", "Greedy", "spoiled" etc... because all they see is the extra's.

It's easy to call the employees of the comission greedy etc... but in the end they are people like everyone else witht heir own familly problems

I beg your pardon? So are you saying that EUrocrats should be entitled to more? Because, honestly, civil servants throughout many other countries are getting pay cuts -- and not only civil servants.

This may be a harsh thing to say, and I feel for you and for all disabled people who have relatives who work in the EU, but ultimately you are saying that they deserve to be treated better than the employees of member states -- which is the entire point of this thread.

What about people who have disabled relatives and who work for member states' governments? What about people who have disabled relatives and who have lost their jobs?

It's all well and good to cling to the EU's teat for benefits, but EU employees don't deserve to be treated any better than member states' employees, and they are CERTAINLY not the only ones to have disabled relatives. We all do.

[Kjertesvein]

It has come to my knowledge that the head of the european councill does not pay any taxes, and that it's a norm. He makes 2,2 million Kroners, as 140 000 US$, and no taxes.

-Wille

[sabaku_no_gaara]

I'm saying that if people get benefits from their job, it's not something to be angry about, you can allways try to get a job that offers benefits, I think the EU is doing a noble thing for it's less fortunate employees

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

I'm saying that if people get benefits from their job, it's not something to be angry about, you can allways try to get a job that offers benefits, I think the EU is doing a noble thing for it's less fortunate employees

But we're not talking about the benefits -- we're talking about the fact that they feel entitled to a raise whereas all the member states' civil servants are suffering from wage cuts. Is the irony of it all lost on you? Especially when said cuts are dictated by the EU, mainly to accomodate the EMU's policies (and even so, with a good deal of lax accounting)?

Of course, the main function of the EU is to pay its employees. In fact, it's one of the few reasons of its existence -- creating more and more useless departments and euroquangos, and paying people to do useless stuff inside them. It's just the way it is.

I'm a translator, and I've had a chance to work for the EU. I refused on terms of conscience; they can keep their filthy money.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

They probably spend less on wages and bureaucracy, then Belgium wich has 6 different gouverments

The European Union is here to stay, and will most likely over time gain a bigger say, untill one day we are the untied states of Europe so to speak, they need a big organ to gouvern Europe from, also, the employees raise had allready been promised to them, I think you are biased in this affair seeing how you are not exactly fond of the EU.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

They probably spend less on wages and bureaucracy, then Belgium wich has 6 different gouverments

To begin, the government of Belgium is hardly an example for anyone to follow, since it is a generally unwanted, artificial and antidemocratic government. Belgium, in itself, is a small "Europe" as you would want it, since it is the union of two nations unwilling to be under one government.

However, if we are to study the EU's total spending -- about 140 bn euros, over a third of Belgium's GDP -- the question is also how it spends it. Of course, to all those who have leeched or are leeching off the EU's generous teat, this is fine and dandy since they're getting the sweet side of the deal -- disregarding the fact that the work they have performed is probably useless or even detrimental -- the fact that the Commission's account books have not been signed for the past 10 years -- something unthinkable outside this extremely corrupt European Union: The European Court of Auditors has stated that 95 PER CENT OF THE EU'S BUDGET IS WIDE OPEN TO FRAUD. For instance, in 1999, the ENTIRE European Commission led by Jacques Santer had to RESIGN after a Comittee of Independent Experts reported ADMINISTRATIVE FAILURE, FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES and NEPOTISM. The fact that every MEP, on average, steals four million euros per term is highly indicative.

The European Parliament, for instance, spent €830,000 replacing FILING CABINETS to transport documents -- the CAP costs the average person 210 quid per annum, and it represents 3/5 of all EU spending -- the Commission, in 2003, spent no less than €106 MILLION on interpreter services, and the European Parliament €57 million -- whilst the translators were spending an average 33 days on "stand-by duty". In other words, 15% of those interpreters' worktime was not even used! You, who are so fond of the EU's pensions, should know that their pensions liabilities amount to a staggering €26 billion.

But, for humour's sake, we might as well look at Rumpy de Pumpy, whose salary is higher than Obama's, costing €6.000.000 per annum -- without counting his new palace, which will cost about €320.000.000!

Rumpy's salary being of €304.000 per annum, plus €91.000 in bonuses, €13.000 in social security; throw in the travel expenses and it amounts to €1.5 million per annum.

Furthermore, add his cabinet and staff: head of cabinet, second head of cabinet, 12 assistants, 6 administrators, 10 bodyguards... this team will cost no less than €4.500.000 per annum. And I'm not even counting the cost of the summits and international visits!

The European Union is here to stay, and will most likely over time gain a bigger say, untill one day we are the untied states of Europe so to speak,

Err... no? What makes you think that the Eurofederalists will have their way? Just because you hope so doesn't mean it's going to happen.

The fact that you live in Belgium -- one of the most rabidly Eurofederalistic countries along with Luxemburg -- can explain your deterministic point of view.

they need a big organ to gouvern Europe from, also, the employees raise had allready been promised to them, I think you are biased in this affair seeing how you are not exactly fond of the EU.

Look: It's a clear-cut case. The EU dictates that member states must make pay cuts; civil servants Europe-wide see their salaries slashed.

Ergo: If the Eurocrats complain about their salaries being frozen for a few months, that means that they think that they're entitled to more than others. What makes them so special?

[sabaku_no_gaara]

Look: It's a clear-cut case. The EU dictates that member states must make pay cuts; civil servants Europe-wide see their salaries slashed.

Ergo: If the Eurocrats complain about their salaries being frozen for a few months, that means that they think that they're entitled to more than others. What makes them so special?

Stop calling them Eurocrats, they are just employees fighting for what they feel they are entitled to, many employees do this, and seeing how in belgium people seem to go on strikes over the littelest things, maybe it's the influence of the country they are living in

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

Stop calling them Eurocrats, they are just employees fighting for what they feel they are entitled to, many employees do this, and seeing how in belgium people seem to go on strikes over the littelest things, maybe it's the influence of the country they are living in

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eurocrat

Main Entry: Eu·ro·crat
Pronunciation: \ˈyu̇r-ə-ˌkrat\
Function: noun
Date: 1961
: a staff member of the administrative commission of the European Union
— Eu·ro·cra·cy \yu̇-ˈrä-krə-sē\ noun

Just calling a spade a spade. If I wanted to be sincere, I'd call them leeches.

Oh, and I updated my above post.

[Razor]

Stop calling them Eurocrats, they are just employees fighting for what they feel they are entitled to, many employees do this, and seeing how in belgium people seem to go on strikes over the littelest things, maybe it's the influence of the country they are living in

Yes yes, they should from now on be called Eurokleptocrats instead. Oh EU what a waste of time, energy and money you are now.

[Monarchist]

Destroy the E.U. Burn government education and health care. Introduce capitalism. Problems solved!

This is becoming ridiculous. I'd rather live in the work-house Europe of 1890 than the slave-hut Europe of 2009.