In accordance with the CERN Staff Rules and Regulation (Article S VII 1.07), general matters concerning the personnel shall be subject to discussion between the Director-General and the Staff Association. Discussion shall mean a procedure whereby the Director-General and the Staff Association concert together to try to reach a common position.
Proposals are first concerted between the Management and the Association within the SCC. The projects are then discussed within the TREF for final decision by the Finance Committee and the CERN Council.
Mandate
«A procedure for discussion between the Director-General and the Staff Association shall be set up in order to examine general matters concerning the personnel. The term discussion denotes a procedure whereby the Director-General and the Staff Association concert together to try to reach a common position. A Standing Concertation Committee shall be established for this purpose.» (SRP VII 1.07)
The SCC is the official joint organ of information and concertation between the Director-General and staff representatives. It consists of five members of the Staff Association and five representatives of the CERN Management, who meet at least once a month.
This Committee examines all matters related to the employment and working conditions of staff members, in particular remuneration, social security (especially health insurance and the pension fund), career advancement and evolution, as well as general working conditions.
Members
Standing Concertation Committee Subgroups
The Committee may agree to set up Sub-Groups or Informal Working Groups to discuss current issues in detail, before they are officially discussed in the Standing Concertation Committee. Informal Working Groups or Sub-Groups of the Standing Concertation Committee, consisting of a limited number of members of the Management and the Staff Association, may be set up to discuss certain classified topics:
CHIS Board
The CHIS Board is a sub-group of the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC) responsible for the general supervision of the insurance scheme.
SCC Sub-group n°1
This SCC subgroup is in charge of reviewing, inter alia, administrative and operational circulars.
Mandate
“The objective of the forum is to improve the decision-making process by giving those concerned the opportunity and time to understand fully the positions of all participants.” (CERN/RTG/8)
The Tripartite Employment Conditions Forum (TREF), set up by CERN Council in June 1994, is composed of representatives from the Member States, Management and Staff Association. Its role is to study the remuneration and employment conditions at CERN. It has no decision-making powers, however, as its name suggests, it allows an exchange of views between the three parties. This exchange guarantees a better mutual understanding and facilitates constructive problem-solving.
This organ also allows the Management to test its recommendations to Finance Committee and Council.
Members
The Finance Committee is composed of representatives from national administrations and deals with all issues relating to financial contributions by the Member States and to the Organization’s budget and expenditure.
Five representatives of the Staff Association attend the Finance Committee meetings as observers.
Furthermore, the Executive Committee has obtained the right to meet directly with the Chairman of Finance Committee.
Observers
The CERN Council is the highest authority of the Organization and has responsibility for all-important decisions. It controls CERN’s activities in scientific, technical and administrative matters. It approves programmes of activity, adopts the budgets and reviews expenditure. The Council is assisted by the Scientific Policy Committee and the Finance Committee. The Director-General, appointed by the Council, manages the CERN Laboratory. The Director-General is assisted by a directorate and runs the Laboratory through a structure of departments.
The Council holds an ordinary session twice a year - June and December – and, in between, its delegates meet in a less formal manner in the Committee of Council” in order to closely monitor all developments and discuss with the Director-General any decisions to be submitted to Council.
The Executive Committee has obtained the right to meet directly with the Chairman of Council.
Furthermore, the Staff Association regularly organizes a meeting between the delegates to Council and Finance Committee with their fellow citizens of the Organization.
