The difficult times currently being experienced by our colleagues who are still active within the Organisation have led us to bring you some news from the front.
A legal battle is looming
An extraordinary meeting of the Governing Body will take place on 7 September 2026 to confirm the continued implementation of the cost-control measures set out in documents GB.357/PFA/4, and GB.357/PFA/4 decision, in particular to authorise the reduction of approximately 120 posts, including 70 permanent posts (WLT). Document GB/357bis/PFA/1 provides an interesting account of the origins and history of these posts and ultimately seeks the Executive Board’s authorisation to abolish them. The staff union refutes this legal interpretation and is ready to accompany its members to take legal action if necessary (the ILO Staff Union’s positions in particular the one on the special GB session can be viewed on its website). It also regularly condemns the hasty decisions taken by the Administration over the past year or so, which have not been followed up with concrete action, as well as the lack of transparency and social dialogue usually demonstrated by senior management during these difficult times.
This Governing Body session will therefore be crucial for the future of the ILO and its staff. If you are interested, as a member of the Section, you can ask us for the link to listen to the debates in due course.
The reed bends but does not break
This situation is, of course, taking an ever-greater toll on staff morale (see article here) all the more so as Department heads are currently calling staff in to inform them of the possible reorganisation and staff cuts, even before the GB has taken any decisions, and, according to some accounts, this process is inevitably already taking on the appearance of a witch-hunt. In these unprecedented times solidarity, fighting spirit and resilience – values that have been upheld since 1920 within the ILO Staff Union, heroically championed by staff representatives – command our admiration and commit us, as the section of Former Officials, to redouble our efforts in solidarity to support them as best we can. (attendance at meetings and gatherings, advice, translations, historical records, etc.).
Consequences extending beyond active staff
This unprecedented financial storm within our organisation will also, inevitably, have consequences for entities or events dear to the retired officials, such as CAPS or, more trivial, the retirees’ reception. Should new proposals arise this autumn, it may then be time for us, as retirees, to take responsibility to ensure that the Organisation and its social security bodies stay on course.