adminIn an internal ECB staff poll, 80,1 percent of employees complained of a “heavy workload” at the moment and 74,4 percent of them said it was a “permanent” situation.
More than 76 percent said they were working longer hours, for which most of them (77,7 percent) received no extra pay.
Nearly 16 percent of those polled said their workload was having a “serious effect” on their private life and/or their health.
The poll was carried out among 715 ECB staff on both permanent and temporary contracts.
The ECB employs a total of 2 600 people, 1 200 of whom are on permanent contracts.
“After five years of crisis, staff all across all departments are overworked,” IPSO chief Marius Mager told AFP.
ECB president Mario Draghi has asked the bank’s executive board to approve an increase in the workforce in the coming years, but IPSO said it has not been informed on exact numbers and expressed concern it would not be sufficient.
“According to the rumours, there will be 50-60 new appointments over two or three years and they will be in core divisions,” Mager said.
That “is only minimal”, he complained.
“We’re asking for a complete review of the situation,” he added. —AFP.
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Bongani Ndlovu