(PRESS RELEASE) IPSO challenges ECB change of staff representation framework before the EU Court of Justice

Can a central bank remain intellectually independent if its staff and their representatives are progressively made less free to speak and less able to act?

IPSO launches new court challenge over the independence of staff representation at the ECB

The International and European Public Services Organisation (IPSO), the only recognised trade union at the European Central Bank (ECB), has lodged an action before the General Court of the European Union challenging the ECB’s recent reform of staff representation. The action challenges new ECB rules that restrict the independence and practical capacity of staff representation by preventing IPSO from freely allocating its representational resources and by limiting the ability of representatives elected by all staff to serve the trade union. In effect, this means that staff representatives can work for the union only if they renounce the democratic legitimacy conferred on them by the ECB-wide election of the Staff Committee.

It is the fourth case currently pending before the General Court concerning fundamental rights and staff representation at the ECB. While three earlier proceedings concern freedom of expression, this new action focuses on freedom of association and the independence of staff representation from the employer.

Together, these cases raise a broader question: can an institution entrusted with safeguarding Europe’s price and financial stability continue to fulfil its mission if its staff and their representatives become progressively less free to speak up and challenge internal decisions?