Social Security (pensions, SHIF, HIV-AIDS)
Coordinators: Guillaume Filhon, Ian Oron
Member: Sophie Guerre Chaillet
Technical Advisers: François Kientzler, Cherry Thompson-Senior (Former Officials)
Objectives and means of action :
Objective: To ensure that the policies adopted by the SHIF Management Committee and the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) Committee reflect the needs and interests of existing and former staff.
Means of action:
- Keeping staff better informed of health insurance and pension issues so that the staff’s representatives on joint bodies can be more effective, by maintaining regular and close communication between the Staff Union (including the Section of Former Officials) and participants’ representatives on the SHIF Management Committee and UNJSPF Committee, as well as through training sessions;
- Promoting and organizing information meetings, general assemblies and referendums to ensure that any proposal to change the structure, programme, benefits or contributions of any fund is clearly and fully explained to participants and that no decision is taken without thorough consultation
Health insurance
We have already been informed that the SHIF Management Committee plans to raise participants’ contributions in 2015 and to adjust the level of reimbursements. We shall be pursuing the following objectives in close collaboration with participants’ representatives:
- better governance of the Fund
- maintenance of contributions at the current level
- improved benefits and, in particular, speedy reimbursement of medical claims
- adjustment of benefits, especially the many “ceilings” that have not changed for years.
Pension Fund
Since the recent decision of the United Nations General Assembly (December 2014) to allow staff members normally retiring at 60/62 years of age to stay on until the age of 65 if they so wish, we are optimistic about the chances of concluding early in 2015 our current negotiations with the Administration on the compulsory age of retirement (for all serving officials, including TC staff), the extension of active service for former officials and their right to combine employment and retirement.
In addition to participating in various committees and other bodies, the Staff Union’s priority this year will be to counter attacks against SHIF and its participants that are aimed at reducing benefits and splitting up the fund.
Recent News

Collective agreement on the introduction of the new generic job descriptions for regular budget positions in the Professional category worldwide and the General Service category at headquarters
Please find the document following this link: New generic job descriptions (May 2023)

Bulletin No. 1584 – Statement of the Chairperson of the Staff Union – 347th Session of the Governing Body (14 March 2023)
Please note that Staff Union Bulletin No. 1584 on the above mentioned subject can be consulted here: Bulletin 1584

Bulletin 1583 – A review of events of the past month
Dear colleagues, To continue in our series of regular monthly updates, please click here to find a brief overview of what your Staff Union worked on

Bulletin 1582 – A review of events of the past month
Dear colleagues, To continue in our series of regular monthly updates, please click here to find a brief overview of what your Staff Union worked on