Meeting on 19 June: Well done!

 

On Thursday morning more than 600 of you answered the call of the Staff Council and the CERN Pensioners’ Association (GAC-EPA) by participating in a demonstration to say “Respect the staff”, “Respect the commitments”, and “Respect the rules”.
After having listened to the latest news the participants toured the main building to show their concern, and to clearly indicate that CERN staff are ready to defend their rights and the future of CERN. After the meeting the participants were also able to give their support by signing the resolution of the Staff Council and CGA-EPA (http://www.gac-epa.org/History/Announcements/2014/2014-02-24-Pensions/ResolutionAPGACEPA-en.html) which demands that the Members States:
• respect the commitment of the Organization to pay 60 MCHF per year for 30 years, taken when approving the package of equilibration measures in 2010;
• respect and strictly enforce the competences of the governing bodies and the rights of all stakeholders.
The President and Vice-Presidents of the Staff Association met on Friday morning with the presidents of the CERN Council, Prof. A. Zalewska and Finance Committee, Mrs. Ch. Jamieson, to transmit to them a copy of the resolution accompanied by some 900 signatures. We explained the reasons for our action on Thursday morning and the position of the Staff Council and GAC-EPA as expressed in the Resolution.
The greatest resource of CERN in its 60-year history was and is its staff, current and past. Fundamental research is done by and with the staff. It is the hundreds of CERN women and men, of all ages, cultural and educational backgrounds, who, all together, build, operate and develop the accelerator, computing, administrative, and experimental infrastructures. Thanks to their efforts and experience, and in collaboration with their colleagues-users it is they who discover the higgs, the gluon plasma, invent the web, contribute to new hadron therapy treatment, guarantee that the LS1 terminates well, and that the restart of LHC will takes place in the best conditions.
Therefore, CERN must be able to attract, retain and motivate staff of the highest competence from all Member states. And to fulfil that aim the Organization must offer competitive employment conditions, in particular, but not only, for pensions.

All together we must defend a strong CERN, with adequate resources to fulfil its mission. Basic research is an invaluable resource for innovation, experience and knowledge. CERN is and must remain a centre of excellence in science and technology, a point of reference that also plays an essential role in training the scientific and technical elites in a modern Europe, allowing the creation of jobs with a high added value, and hence the creation of wealth. But CERN must also be a center of excellence in the field of social responsibility, a genuine social partner that, through the voice of Council, can be trusted, and that does not renege on its commitments.
The Member State delegates have seen and heard us. They have surely noticed our determination. But this is not enough. They have to take us seriously and adopt a constructive attitude towards the interests of the staff.
To win we must be able to count on you. Alone, without the support of staff, we will obtain nothing, and even risk losing a lot. Therefore, for future actions, we count on you!

Latest developments

The intense efforts of explanation by several stakeholders, in particular Staff Association representatives, to several delegations in recent months has somewhat borne fruit. Indeed, the CERN Council concluded in its session on Thursday that no new Resolution on the Pension Fund is needed at this moment. Thank you for your support.
You can find a video of the Staff meeting at the URL: https://cds.cern.ch/record/1710373

 The morning in pictures

by Staff Association