“Even though all DGs and services would participate in the change, such change will be progressive and, as an organisation, we will build on lessons learnt to move forward. DGs and services moving into a new building are actively involved in the conception of their work environment that they can adapt to their specific needs based on experience” (Real estate policy in Brussels (europa.eu ))

Effectively a nice announcement published urbi and orbi on My Intracomm and which does not correspond to reality.

We have indeed learnt that OIB is negotiating the rental of premises near North Station dedicated to the hosting of Executive Agencies and DG CONNECT, without consultation with the trade union organisations of the different institutions or the staff concerned.

Following the Loi 107 case, this is a new rushed OIB exercise, even though there are currently no lessons learnt from the “One-disaster” case and the evaluation file is still on the CPPT’s table.

It is more than time to put some order in this chaos and request OIB to comply with their commitment (cf above).

Union Syndicale consequently calls for DG HR to implement the following measures based on their governance role towards OIB:

·       Suspension of real estate searches until lessons learnt are available and the manual on hot desking conditions and hosting is validated by the health and safety at work committee;

·       Evaluation of the cost of the new real estate policy run by OIB, including all the costs linked to unsuitable premises, moves, corrections after installation of staff, costs inherent to the psychosocial impact (stress, conflicts, mental burden to burn-out);

·       Ex-ante evaluation, to be performed right now, of needs for space of services and Agencies concerned by forthcoming moves until 2024 depending on their activities;

·       Evaluation of the number of work stations actually available for each DG and Agency once deducted the space required for meeting rooms, projects areas, kitchens and other meeting points;

·       Creation of real estate projects taking into account needs based on units’ activities;

·       Verification by the CPPT of the compliance of each project with the Workplace Directive and related occupational health and safety risk analyses to be prepared by the employer (DG HR).

Otherwise, the OIB’s large real estate machinery will continue to be, and for a long time, a burn-out factory.