Delegates' Corner
Everyone has certainly heard of the CERN Staff Association at least once in his or her career! An official CERN body whose primary purpose is to defend the economic, social, professional and moral interests of its personnel.
But the Staff Association is above all women and men, elected by YOU as staff delegates who represent YOU.
We have decided to give them the floor so that they can explain in their own words who they are and what they do.
Today we give the floor to Lynda Meichtry.
- Hello Lynda, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Yes, my name is Lynda Meichtry, I am in charge of the general administration (Departmental Administrative Officer - DAO) and the training (Departmental Training Officer- DTO) of the section’s personnel within the Director General’s Unit but I also work for CERN's Translation & Minutes Department (TMC).
I joined CERN in 2004 in the Human Resources (HR) department, which gave me the opportunity to acquire knowledge in the areas of Staff Rules and Regulations and CERN administrative procedures.
- What does the Staff Association represent for you?
For me, the Association is above all the body that guarantees the protection of the conditions of employment of the members of personnel, which requires concertation with CERN and its Member States.
- When and how did you join the Staff Association?
I joined the Staff Association as a member in 2004 durning the Induction session in which everyone participates upon the arrival to CERN.
- What is the point of being a member of the Staff Association?
That's a good question! The Staff Association is here to represent us, so it needs as many members as possible in order to be the most representative possible of the personnel. It also provides access to certain private services and benefits such as exclusive partnerships with CERN clubs, leisure centres, banks, insurance companies, etc.
- What is the purpose of being a staff delegate? How is this useful?
Being a staff delegate consists of being informed, involved and being one of the interlocutors of the members of personnel of your department. This enables you to feel useful to your colleagues on issues other than your daily work.
There are also many different commissions working on various issues. It requires motivated and competent people to make progress on such issues but also to train new delegates.
We learn a lot in areas that we do not always get to know in our own work and it is very rewarding!
- How do you feel about this mission of a staff delegates?
I am learning new things every day and even if sometimes the amount of work seems heavy, as one team, we are stronger! For me it is really an exciting experience to be a delegate.
Having the support of staff members is essential because it is very motivating for delegates and reinforces their professional and often personal investment.
- How much time does it take you to fulfil the mission as a delegate?
It depends on whether we limit ourselves to the most important meetings such as the Staff Council or whether we decide to take part in commissions or committees. This varies according to the urgency of the work at CERN as well. On average, this can represent 10% of working time or more spread over one year.
- We can see that this mission is time-consuming, how does it work to juggle with your daily work at CERN?
It is not always easy to participate as much as we would like, but we are trying to do our best to make as much progress as possible. In the end, the time spent on these activities is useful to the Staff Association and therefore to CERN's members of personnel!
- The final word?
The Staff Association office is located in the main building (64/R-010). Do not hesitate to come and meet us, the secretariat will be happy to provide any information you require.
You can also find as much information as you can by visiting our website: http://staff-association.web.cern.ch
Thank you Lynda for accepting to be interviewed!
We hope that thanks to Lynda you have been able to discover the Staff Association from another perspective,
In our next edition of the "Delegates' Corner" we will have an interview with a young delegate elected in the last elections of 2017!
