

Coordinated Sector Meeting - 24th January 2006 in Strasburg

Minutes of the Coordinated Sector Meeting held on 24th January 2006 in Strasburg

Number of members present and represented: 130

5.35 p.m.: Opening of the meeting. The quorum was attained.

Robert van Michel extended words of welcome. At the future negotiations, the CoE, lead organisation, will be represented by Mrs. MABILEAU (Human Resources).

The organisation will seek to reduce expenditure on interpretation.

According to the Head Interpreter of the CoE, the main issue will be travel conditions: since the introduction of instruction 40 to the CoE Endorsement at the last negotiations, interpreters, like all other Organisation staff, are required to travel as cheaply as possible.

Once Robert Van Michel had left, Bettina Ludewig opened the sector meeting. She took the chair and announced that voting on the mandate would take place at 7 p.m.

Discussion on the draft mandate

Item 1: It was decided that the delegation would seek an Agreement for an unlimited period. This arrangement would allow for a revision at any time provided both parties so agreed and the Agreement would remain unchanged until the parties reached agreement.

Should the “limited duration Agreement” arrangement (which has been in place since 1969) be maintained, it will be necessary to include an extension clause in the old Agreement until a new one is signed, to avoid a legal vacuum.

Several colleagues spoke of the need to retain the 2 rates and grade indexation (Li4/8).

Item 2: NATO train ticket refunds (only relates to the Russian booth) was withdrawn from the mandate. Following contacts with the Head of the Russian Language service at NATO, written assurances were given to the negotiation delegation which confirmed that Russian booth interpreters are entitled to travel first class like all the others.

Russian booth colleagues based in Paris will be duly informed by the delegation so as to dispel any doubts.

The request to have proper remuneration for travelling time restored for CoE missions was strongly supported. CoE travel refunds are deemed to penalise interpreters.

Eastern and Central European rates:

The delegation will seek the removal of this derogation.

In this context the “Administrative Arrangements” issue was addressed. They constituted a way round the Agreement whereby interpreters can be recruited at low rates and in non compliant conditions.

Item 3. The reference to “remote conferencing” shall be replaced with a reference to “new technologies”, since there are currently no definite AIIC provisions.

Item 4: This concern was shared by all colleagues.

Item 5: There is no intention of reopening the issue of a “third pension fund” to replace the PAX/Aeschimann  one, but only of settling a few cases of withheld contributions.

At about 7 p.m. there was a vote on the draft Mandate (see annex). It was unanimously adopted.


Draft Mandate

Interpreters meeting at the coordinated sector meeting on 24th January 2006 mandated their negotiating delegation as follows:

  1. Renewal and continuation of the Agreement as it currently stands
    With special attention to the following points:
  2. Application of the Agreement, without exception, to all interpreters recruited by the signatory organisations to the Agreement:
    1. Delete the derogation relating to central and eastern European countries (Annex II)
    2. Restore pay for travelling time spent returning from a mission (“déproche”) (CoE)
    1. Respect for working conditions and technical standards at meetings held away from headquarters
    2. Where new technologies are envisaged (remote interpreting), prior consultation of AIIC
  3. Quality control of “supplied languages” (which serve as relay languages)
  4. Settlement of withheld contributions to pension funds (interpreters who are not members of CPIC/CPIT)

Recommended citation format:
Bettina LUDEWIG-QUAINE. "Coordinated Sector Meeting - 24th January 2006 in Strasburg". February 2, 2006. Accessed August 21, 2019. <>.

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