Concertation rather than Consultation or Negotiation!

At CERN, the Concertation between the Management and the Personnel has been in effect since 1983, the year in which the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC) came to replace the Standing Consultation Committee.

Since then, the concertation process has been enshrined in the Staff Rules and Regulations, which define its scope of application: “Any proposed measures of a general nature regarding the conditions of employment or association of members of the personnel shall be the subject of discussion within the SCC” (S VII 1.08). More generally, all questions relating to the employment and working conditions of the members of personnel are discussed in the SCC, including in particular issues of remuneration, social protection (CHIS and Pension Fund), career evolution...

In Article S VII 1.07 of the Staff Rules and Regulations it is also stated that: “Discussion shall mean a procedure whereby the Director-General and the Staff Association concert together to try to reach a common position”. This process thus enables the Management and the Personnel, via the Staff Association1, to develop a common position in response to the expectations of the Member States, the Management, and the Personnel.

Also in 1983, a study group was launched to draft detailed proposals for establishing a permanent tripartite structure, eventually leading up to the creation of the Tripartite Forum on Conditions of Employment (TREF) in 1994.

The purpose of this Forum is to “oversee the collection of information and to stimulate communication and discussion between representatives of the Member States, the CERN Management and the CERN Staff Association”. Thus, the Forum provides each partner with the opportunity to express their views in order to facilitate the decision-making of the Finance Committee and the CERN Council.

This concertation process is unique. It does not stem from co-management or consultation. Rather, it is an integral part of a mechanism for sharing ideas and visions to manage the relations with the Personnel, and to ensure the future of the Organization.

The Staff Association is very committed to this process, which allows for exchange between the Member States, the Management and the Personnel, thus fostering transparency, commitment and mutual respect.

1 The Staff Association is the only statutory organ authorised to represent collectively the CERN personnel.

by Staff Association