THAN THEIR PREVIOUS ONE .
12 THE FIRST EXPLANATION CANNOT BE ACCEPTED . FROM THE DATE ON WHICH THEY WERE APPOINTED , THE APPLICANTS WERE MEMBERS OF THE TEMPORARY STAFF . WITH REGARD TO THE SECOND EXPLANATION PUT FORWARD , IT IS SUFFICIENT FIRSTLY TO NOTE THAT , AFTER THEIR TRANSFER TO THE NEW CATEGORY OF TEMPORARY STAFF , THE APPLICANTS CONTINUED TO PERFORM EXACTLY THE SAME DUTIES AS BEFORE AND , SECONDLY , TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE REDUCTION IN THEIR SALARY AS COMPARED WITH WHAT THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY RECEIVING AND WITH THE SALARY OF OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TEMPORARY STAFF IS JUSTIFIED AND COMPENSATED FOR BY AN IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FROM OTHER POINTS OF VIEW .
13 IN THAT REGARD , THE COMMISSION POINTS TO THE GREATER SECURITY OF EMPLOYMENT WHICH THE APPLICANTS ENJOY UNDER THEIR NEW STATUS . THE REPLY TO THAT ARGUMENT IS THAT , ALTHOUGH IT IS CORRECT THAT , UNDER THE APPLICANTS ' PREVIOUS STATUS , THEIR CONTRACTS WERE FOR THE DURATION OF A SPECIFIED PROGRAMME , IT IS NONE THE LESS TRUE THAT THOSE CONTRACTS COULD BE RENEWED IF THE PROGRAMMES CONCERNED WERE CONTINUED OR REPLACED BY OTHERS . FURTHERMORE , THE FACT THAT THE EXISTING POSTS WERE TRANSFORMED INTO PERMANENT POSTS SHOWS THAT THERE WAS NO INTENTION OF TERMINATING THE PROGRAMMES . IT MUST ALSO BE POINTED OUT THAT , ALTHOUGH UNDER THE APPLICANTS ' NEW STATUS THE POSTS TO WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN APPOINTED ARE PERMANENT , THEY DO NOT THEREBY OBTAIN ANY PARTICULAR GUARANTEE OF EMPLOYMENT SINCE , AS MEMBERS OF THE TEMPORARY STAFF , THEIR CONTRACTS MAY BE TERMINATED AT ANY TIME WITH THREE MONTHS ' NOTICE .
14 UNDER THEIR NEW STATUS , THE APPLICANTS ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT TO A RETIREMENT PENSION . HOWEVER , ON THE ONE HAND , THAT IS NO MORE THAN AN EXPECTATION WHICH PRESUPPOSES THAT CERTAIN CONDITIONS WILL BE FULFILLED , IN PARTICULAR THAT THE APPLICANTS WILL HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED BY THE COMMUNITIES FOR A CERTAIN MINIMUM PERIOD , WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE AT THE TIME WHEN THEIR POSTS WERE TRANSFORMED . ON THE OTHER HAND , UNDER THEIR PREVIOUS STATUS , THE APPLICANTS HAD THE RIGHT TO A SEVERANCE GRANT , WHICH MAY BE REGARDED AS EQUIVALENT TO A CAPITALIZED RETIREMENT PENSION . IN ANY EVENT , THAT DISTINCTION HAS IN THE MEANTIME BEEN ABOLISHED AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE TEMPORARY STAFF NOW HAVE THE RIGHT TO A PENSION .
15 UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES , IT MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED THAT CONFERMENT OF SUCH A BASIC PUBLIC SERVICE RIGHT AS THE RIGHT TO A RETIREMENT PENSION CAN JUSTIFY , IN EXCHANGE , A REDUCTION IN SALARY .
16 IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY THE FACT THAT THE REDUCTION IN SALARY AFFECTED ONLY MEMBERS OF STAFF IN CATEGORIES C AND D , TO THE EXCLUSION OF THOSE IN CATEGORIES A AND B , THE COMMISSION AGAIN RELIES ON BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS , CONTENDING THAT THE STATE OF COMMUNITY FINANCES DID NOT