From: "Philip Sargent" <Philip.Sargent@computer.org>
To: <euro-ombudsman@europarl.eu.int>
Subject: Social Security for Visiting Scientists (Migrant Workers) at JRC Ispra, Italy.
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 11:29:37 +0200

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It is now 365 days since I first asked the Human Resources Department at the European Commission Joint Research Centre for information about "standard employment terms and conditions".

They have still not been able to provide a satisfactory reply as to my social security rights.

I have been a Visiting Scientist at the JRC since December 1st, 1997. Visiting Scientists are not statutory employees of the Commission and do not get the tax advantages etc.

I believe that I am a "migrant worker" under regulation 1408/71 - I am a UK citizen working in Italy. The JRC Human Resources Department say verbally, and in email, that I do not qualify for this because I am "not an employee" but they have not produced any regulation or evidence for this.

This probably affects 20-25 Visiting Scientists and perhaps 120-200 Grant Holders at the JRC.

I have been and am now paying money, £(UK) 73 a month, for health insurance for my family because of this lack of social security - which does not give my family as good a level of cover as the standard Italian health scheme. I am also not accumulating social security payments which I should be.

I asked the JRC legal department to find out the situation and I got a letter saying that they would not undertake such an investigation for me because I was not a statutory employee.

1.
From: 
      Dr. Philip Sargent
      TP 262
      JRC Ispra
      21020 Ispra (VA), ITALIA

      tel. +39 (0332) 786336
      fax. +39 (0332) 789936

      email. Philip.Sargent@computer.org

On behalf of:
      Myself and about 20 other Visiting Scientists

2.
Institution:
      The European Commission, DG JRC

3.
      Social Security status
      Since 16 September 1997

4.    
Grounds for complaint:
      Lack or refusal of information
      Unnecessary delay

Claims:
      Full social security payments since 1st December 1997
      Restitution of payment of health insurance which I should not have
      had to pay

5.
Previous Approaches:
      Many, many visits and letters to Rossalba Rabossi and Daniela
Barbieri at
      the Human Resources department of the JRC, Ispra, who are
responsible for
      Visiting Scientists.
      Many letters to UK social security offices (who agree that I 
      should be paying social security), some letters to DGV.

6.
Work relationships:
      Not applicable.

7.
Court actions:
      None.

8.
     I agree that my complaint may be passed on to another authority 
     (European or national) if the European Ombudsman decides that he 
     is not entitled to deal with it? 


--Philip Sargent
Visiting Scientist. #135 26a. TP 262, JRC, 21020 Ispra (VA), Italia
Opinions expressed are my own and certainly not those of the JRC.

A signed copy of this email is being sent in the post.

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