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THE TRADE UNION representing staff at the European Parliament has refused to enter talks with management on proposals to extend their working week to 40 hours.
The Equipe d’Union Syndicate is opposing plans which would ask staff members to work for 30 minutes more each day, scuppering proposals which the London Independent says would save in the region of €1bn a year.
In a circular email sent to parliamentary staff, the union said: “The unions and staff associations replied to this proposal with a categorical ‘Niet’!”. ‘Niet’ is the Flemish word for ‘no’; Flemish is one of the two main languages used in the Belgian capital.
The union argued that the plan would make the European civil service a less inviting place to work, and would have a negative impact on the domestic and personal lives of the staff affected.
Union reps insist that while most parliamentary staff don’t work full days on a Friday – with no work on Fridays during plenary sittings of the parliament, and half-days every other week – staff are still expected to put in long hours on other days of the week.
Staff in the parliament work under a flexi-time system that allows them to build up extra annual leave for any hours worked in excess of the 37.5 threshold.
The Daily Telegraph explained that this flexi-time arranged led to many senior officials in Brussels taking up to three months’ worth of paid annual leave, having built up so much extra time.
Staff are entitled to a standard allocation of 24 days’ annual leave, in addition to their seven days of public holidays and 11 “non-working” days when the institutions are officially closed because of the parliamentary recess.
As a result, they can sometimes build up over 60 days’ worth of leave – more than a quarter of the full working year.
The EU directly employs around 55,000 staff.
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Jeez, summit fever must have got to him to push on without her. Lower oxygen levels in death zone can’t have helped with rational decision making either.
To be fair she may have just seemed tired. Cerebral oedema affects individuals in different ways, and the onset of the first symptoms is sometimes mistaken for tiredness or a minor illness. She may have looked OK and made a good decision to halt her ascent – there may have been no apparent reason for him to abort too.
“didn’t mean anything to me” that’s what you call the ultimate regret
“It seems that people have this warped idea of vegans being malnourished and weak,” Strydom was quoted as saying.
By climbing the seven summits we want to prove that vegans can do anything and more.”
And now she’s dead…that didn’t really work out too well for the aul vegan crusade they were after and this gobshïte is still bangin on about it, some things are best left unsaid…maybe a steak sandwich might’ve got her top and back.
You are a knob. End of.
If you put down your sandwich and actually read the article you’d see that quote is from her before they started the challenge.
And if you picked your beard out of your face you’d see the second half of the comment
What second half? “This g*bshite is still banging on about it”. The vegan quote is from the lady who died.
Very insensitive the man has lost his wife. You have no class
Vegans can speak after the die ???
He lost his wife taking a huge risk, for what?
She got Ill climbing the world’s most dangerous peak,in the area known as the death zone,what is he confused about?
I imagine He is confused because he lost (quite possibly) the love of his life. That kind of loss, no matter what the circumstances, is confusing when you are lost in grief. No doubt they both prepared for the trip, never thinking that either one would die. My thoughts are with him and her family.
I’m sorry to detract from this man’s loss or the article in question but that’s an amazing picture of Everest.
It’s a pity there was no finer crusade, cause or endeavour they could have chosen – No unfortunate people they could have decided to help out or aid in some manner. No they had to climb a mountain in the noble defence of the physical attributes and potency of people who have chosen to be Vegans. Sorry now but what a massive loss to humanity.
Run a marathon if you want to punish yourself.
Go help at an old peoples home or volunteer at a homeless shelter if you want to help people
Mountains take too many lives, you never get answers. That man has my sincerest sympathy.
Sooo does that mean vegans are weak then?
I was privileged to meet two sherpa brothers a few months ago who hold the record for the most times to climb Everest. Tough tough men, I’d never understand what it takes to climb Everest and the effects on the body but it’s unimaginable for me that if I did I’d leave my wife to continue on alone. That would haunt me forever.
Very sad :(
If you suspect someone has altitude sickness, you descend immediately. If reaching the summit meant nothing why did he do it?
Her time was up, simple as that, everybody dies so it shouldn’t come as a suprise,we’re all just a heartbeat away , enjoy it while u can
The story reminds me of the tower of babloyn in the Bible ,when people believed they could reach the highest peak to touch God an so built it ,until God changed there languages untill they became so confused ,they couldn’t go higher . so God was showing people they could not live by bread , human communication alone ,but by every word that comes from God ,food that is neither steak or vegetables .I think this man is only starting a climb of a life time ,the way he talks of it ,I feel sorry for him.He really did love her , but they choose there fate on that Lowe peak an it was a choice they both agreed onn wat I learn is choices decisions mwy seem good an right , but could be way off regarding a person’s health well been even if we think it’s the right choice .an sometim s the wrong choice can be the right one ,only God knows why he took her .an he is left with a mountain climb with a twist
Oh right, so twas god that took her. OK then.
Allow the woman the dignity of her own volition. She chose this endeavour and its risks. She died because of oxygen starvation to the brain and organs, most likely, not because some myth ‘took her’ for reasons unknown.
I hope her husband finds a way through this grief and gets back to family and friends for some solid support.
God didn’t take her cause God doesn’t exist. But he probably would red thumb you if he could.
have your say