Standing Concertation Committee - Meetings held on 6, 20 & 22 May 2008

The main items discussed at the meeting of the Standing Concertation Committee on 6 May 2008 included:

Carry-forward of leave

The Committee discussed a proposal to increase, for the period 2008-2009, the carry forward of leave days at the end of the 2008 leave year (30 September 2008) so that staff members working on LHC installation and commissioning do not lose leave. It was agreed that departments would be consulted before finalizing a proposal on the number of extra days of carry-forward.

Revision of CHIS Rules

The Committee discussed a number of outstanding issues relating to the current revision of the CHIS Rules. This revision should be finalized before a market survey is launched for the service contract for the administration of the CHIS that is foreseen by the end of the year.

Preparation for TREF on 28 May

The following items were to be discussed at TREF on 28 May 2008:

Equal Opportunities Report

The Committee took note of the report for 2007 presented by the Equal Opportunities (EO) Officer. In the conclusions she outlined a number of future actions to promote equal opportunities relating to the following:

  • women in top management
  • visibility of EO at CERN
  • threatening and bullying behavior
  • ‘role model’ image of the Management
  • conflict and harassment cases
  • fair career development for everyone
  • best practice in EO.

Personnel statistics

The Committee noted that, in addition to the customary presentation, the Personnel statistics for 2007 prepared by HR Department show for the first time trends and give some additional information. Key messages from the statistics are the following:

  • a general reduction in staff (2654 to 2544, i.e., -4%)
  • a significant reduction in administrative services personnel (465 to 422, i.e., -9%)
  • a marked increase in the number of Users & Unpaid Associates (7494 to 8369, i.e, +11%).

Working hours

The Committee noted that Chapter III of the Staff Rules and Regulations on Working Hours was being revised and that further details would be presented to TREF. These changes were discussed at special meetings of the SCC (see below).

SPECIAL MEETINGS OF 20 & 22 MAY 2008

The Committee met to discuss modifications to Chapter III of the Staff Rules and Regulations (SR&R): "Working hours", which includes overtime, official holiday work or equivalent, Sunday work, night work, stand-by duty and shift work. In agreement with the approach adopted for the revision of the other chapters of the SR&R in the framework of the last 5-yearly review, it was agreed to limit the new text of this chapter to describing the principles of the approach, relegating many of the technical details to administrative circulars. This approach makes the SR&R clearer and more understandable and gives the Organization the necessary flexibility to adapt to its evolving needs.

The needs of the various departments in the area of working hours for moving from LHC installation to a successful start-up and running phase of the LHC had been studied by a working Group chaired by T. Pettersson in 2007. Further discussions with the Staff Association in 2008 resulted in a detailed list of how the implementation measures would be set out in administrative circulars. This list was finalized during the meeting of 20 May. Based on the agreement reached, the meeting on 22 May was limited to a discussion of the simplified text for Chapter III that was to be presented to TREF on 28 May.

by HR Department