The mood in the ECB is in the basement: Because the workforce was not informed about problems with building security, there is massive criticism of the management and central bank chief Lagarde.
After it became known that the fire protection and rescue systems in the new high-rise building of the European Central Bank (ECB) were not working, the mood among the workforce is worse than ever. On Monday afternoon, the ECB top management met with the “Staff Committee”, a kind of staff council, and the ECB union IPSO.
“We find it disappointing,” IPSO Secretary General Leonhard Regneri summarized the conversation. ECB President Christine Lagarde has not admitted any mistakes by management. The ECB only spoke generally about an open exchange of views. The spokesman for the Staff Committee, Carlos Bowles, said when asked that the committee was shocked to have learned about life-threatening dangers from the press.
While the internal work plan “Project Charter” spoke of non-functional “life-saving energy supplies”, a spokeswoman says: “Our building is and has always been safe. The ECB’s security systems have worked continuously without interruption since we moved into the building.”
Discussions on the intranet
Things have always been polite and calm on the intranet and in the trade union forum of around 3,000 ECB employees. Sometimes a handful, sometimes a few dozen people discuss things there.
However, after a short time, a three-digit number of disappointed, outraged and sarcastic comments could be read about the security of the ECB headquarters. “An institution that stands or falls on trust in it has lost the trust of its staff,” says IPSO. Another commented: “In a normal company, heads would roll for hiding critical information.”
The ECB knew for three months that research was underway into the background to the chaotic electrical installation. Two weeks before the first publication, the ECB knew which documents Hessian radio templates.
After it was published a good two weeks ago, discussions arose among ECB officials. It wasn’t until the following Monday evening that General Director Roberto Schiavi wrote a few lines to the staff. The next day an intranet article “Your safety is our priority” appeared.
Comments from named employees indicate empty platitudes, incorrect answers and inaccuracies. “If everything is so secure, I wonder why we haven’t read anything (about the technical problems) on the intranet in the past,” one official wrote. It is often said that the technical damage is one thing, the treatment of the workforce is another.
Violated your own rules
It is now clear that the entire renovation and the underlying security problems were treated as a secret matter. When the ECB headquarters was closed to staff for five weeks in the summer, there was talk of technical improvements. The true background was kept secret; Upon request, the public was told that such repairs were completely normal.
The “Operational Risk Committee”, which includes 17 top managers, was responsible for the work. In violation of the rules, the “Staff Health and Safety Committee” and apparently also the “Crisis Management Team” were not involved. The “Staff Committee” learned nothing.
IPSO General Secretary Regneri announced that the ECB’s “disregard for co-determination rules” would now be discussed politically. IPSO will contact the European Parliament.
The Staff Rules, which are published in a hidden place, require dignified treatment and respect. This was only confirmed a year and a half ago by the Compliance and Governance Office, when high ethical standards of interaction were laid down in a template for top management. “Where are the ECB values when you need them?” says an employee comment in the IPSO union forum.