Voting began on Monday, 13 October and will end on Monday, 3 November at noon.

All members of the Staff Association (SA), please vote in large numbers to elect the new Staff Council using this link: https://staff-association-elections.web.cern.ch/. (Only members who are up to date with their payments as of October 3, 2025, are eligible to vote)

Being a Staff representative: An essential role

A staff representative participates in Staff Council meetings and plays a central role in its functioning. They elect the members of the Executive Committee (EC), define the policy of the Staff Association (SA), oversee its implementation by the EC, and can convoke the General Assembly in ordinary or extraordinary session.

In addition, a representative serves as a close point of contact between members of the personnel and the Staff Association. Their role is to inform, advise, and guide colleagues depending on their situations, while also relaying colleagues’ concerns and priority issues to the Association.

Being a delegate also involves participating in at least one of the Association’s internal Commissions, which focus on areas such as pensions, social protection, employment conditions, health and safety, legal matters, communication, or training. Delegates contribute ideas and proposals as well as being mandated by the Association to take part in the work of official bodies of the Organization or various Working Groups.

Above all to become a representative is first and foremost to be willing to serve and defend the members of the personnel and to be an active citizen of the Organization by contributing to the revision and establishment of its laws (Staff Rules and Regulations, Operational & Administrative circulars) and processes.

What is the Staff Council?

The Staff Council is the supreme body of the Staff Association and CERN Pensioners. It is composed of staff representative elected by members of the Association for a two-year term. The Council also includes pensioners, elected according to the rules of GAC-EPA.

The Staff Council also has sovereign authority to[1]:

• Put to a vote any decision of the General Assembly or any matter of general interest to the personnel;
• Appoint staff representatives to bodies in which SA representation is required;
• Appoint Association representatives in each Department;
• Set up Commissions and Working Groups, etc.

The Organization has a dual role, both as employer and as governing entity, defining its own rules of operation. Participating in the election of your representatives in the Staff Council means choosing the most qualified candidates to defend your interests and make your voice heard. It also means taking part in an essential democratic exercise, allowing perspectives and proposals different from those of the Organization to be expressed.

After the elections: what happens for the newly elected and re-elected delegates?

The outgoing Staff Council prepares new representatives for their roles. To this end, information days called « assises” are organized. This year, they will take place on 17 and 18 November, bringing together delegates from the current and new Councils.

The main purpose of these meetings is to inform the delegates about the place of the SA within the Organization, the Bodies, Committees, Forums, etc., and outside the Organization (relations with the Staff Associations of other International Organizations), as well as how the SA operates internally. In essence, these sessions serve as an induction for new delegates to support them in taking on their responsibilities.

Informing, but not only that!

inviting them to discover the SA's various internal committees, explaining the upcoming challenges and projects for the 2026-2027 term, and also to meet the other staff representatives with whom they will be working and voting on a wide range of subjects during the next two years… in other words, inviting them to find their place.

Amongst all this information and the presentations of the internal committees, training possibilities are also mentioned; for example, training concerning the Pension Fund or the CERN Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS), the five-yearly review, etc.

These training courses, which are offered to new delegates, enable them to acquire the knowledge they need to take part in the Association's work on specific topics.

Finally, the assises will address the formation of the new Executive Committee, with elections scheduled for early December. A forthcoming article will present this Committee, its work program for 2026–2027, and the major challenges facing the Staff Association in the coming months.

[1] https://staff-association.web.cern.ch/internal-organisation/staff-council