The European Central Bank (ECB) is planning its first major overhaul of staff committee rules in a decade, a move that has fueled fresh tensions between management and staff representatives.
While the ECB says the changes aim to improve stability, diversity, and engagement with the bank’s work, current staff reps see them as an attempt to weaken their influence.
The most contentious proposal involves stricter limits on how much time staff representatives can dedicate to committee duties, banning them from using additional work hours for trade union activities. An ECB spokesperson defended the change, stating it would help “enable staff representatives to stay closely connected to the ongoing work and public mandate of the ECB,” while also supporting their career progression. However, staff reps argue that the restrictions will make them less effective.
“Somebody who works 100 percent is more effective than two people working 50 percent juggling two jobs at the same time,” said ECB staff committee spokesperson Carlos Bowles.
Tensions escalated further after Bowles accused ECB President Christine Lagarde of retaliating against the staff committee for conducting a survey that rated her performance poorly. The 2023 survey, reported by POLITICO, found that over 50% of participants ranked Lagarde’s leadership as “very poor” or “poor.” The ECB declined to comment on the allegation.
Other proposed changes include a two-term limit for the committee spokesperson—effectively barring Bowles from re-election—increasing the number of representatives from nine to ten, and extending committee terms from two years to three. The ECB says it will consult with staff reps, but representatives expressed frustration over their lack of formal voting rights and concerns that the bank shared details with journalists before consulting them directly.
The staff committee has been increasingly vocal about workplace concerns, including mental health and favoritism, and has called for a protest on March 11 at ECB headquarters. The divide between staff and leadership was further highlighted in February when ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel was caught on a hot mic calling the staff survey biased and describing union members as “super aggressive people in an institution that treats everybody very well.”
