Standing Concertation Commmittee

Ordinary meeting on 2 november 2007 Extraordinary meeting on 12 November 2007 The main items discussed at the meetings of the Standing Concertation Committee on 2 November 2007 and 12 November included: Restaurants Supervisory Committee Report

During the discussion the committee expressed its support for investment for the refurbishment of Restaurant No. 3 and thanked the RSC members for their work over the past year.

Part-time work as a pre-retirement measure

The committee agreed to recommend the Director-General to extend the scheme of part-time work as a pre-retirement measure by one year, i.e. until 31 December 2008. Extension of the arrangements beyond that date will be subject to a further recommendation in 2008.

Follow-up/preparation of TREF meetings

The committee discussed the follow up of the Tripartite Employment Conditions Forum (TREF) held on 17 October 2007 and the documents prepared for the next TREF meeting on 21 November 2007.

CERN Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS)

The committee noted that a working group chaired by V. Vuillemin had been set up in the spring of 2007 to analyse the situation of CHIS. With the help of the CHIS actuary, the group had reported that the average value of the balance of the Health Insurance Scheme was forecast to remain positive until at least 2010-2011, although it had noted that a large degree of uncertainty is caused by fluctuating medical inflation, as well as indexation of salaries and pensions which could not be forecast from one year to the next.

For the longer term, the committee noted that the Management would propose to TREF that a fund of some 90 MCHF be set up to help cover the cost of the ageing effect in the CHIS insured population. The Staff Association declared that it did not oppose the submission of the Management’s proposals to TREF. However, it regretted that, in its view, the proposal does not address the ageing problem and would have preferred in addition, starting in 2008, an increase in contributions to the fund from the Organization and the beneficiaries of 0.1% of basic salary per annum, as calculated by the actuary.

It was also noted that the Management proposed that the annual deductible be maintained at 200 CHF till a new actuarial study in 2011 and that the Organization would continue to pay a corresponding amount into the new fund over this period.

Long-term care: the committee also noted that the Management would propose an increase in the daily allowance payable to those in long-term care so that the allowance is brought up to the level corresponding to the initial objective (50% of the daily expenses in a Swiss Etablissement Medico-Social) and that, in future, the allowance is indexed automatically by the Geneva cost of living index.

Staff Rules & Regulations Chapter III and Chapter VI

The committee noted that the Management would propose changes to Chapter III of the Staff Rules and Regulations “Working Conditions” in spring 2008, once it had completed wide-ranging consultations across the Organization with regard to the best working conditions policy to adopt for LHC operation.

It also noted that the Management did not intend to propose further amendments to Chapter VI of the Staff Rules and Regulations “Settlement of Disputes and Discipline”.

Annual adjustment of CERN salaries and stipends

The committee took note that on the basis of the provisional data available the calculated salary index for 2008 is 0.71% (the Geneva cost of living movement being 0% for the reference period). Final data will be provided to the Finance Committee and Council in December 2007.

by HR Department