⏱ 2 min read
Background
The International Labour Organization (ILO), headquartered in Geneva, is facing a financial crisis. The United States has not paid its contributions since 2024. In September 2026, its Governing Body approved the savings plan of Director-General Gilbert Houngbo. The plan provided for 120 full-time-equivalent job cuts.
The key points
On Tuesday 10 November 2026, nearly 300 ILO staff and retirees demonstrated inside the Geneva headquarters. They formed a line outside the room where the Governing Body was meeting. According to RTS, most delegates entered through another door.
The final plan provides for the elimination of 86 filled posts for 2026-2027, in addition to 180 vacant posts. A new review is announced for March 2027. Staff, backed by Geneva unions, are asking for their proposals to be considered. According to Le Courrier, the restructuring is going ahead without taking them into account.
Key figures
- 86 posts filled posts cut in 2026-2027: 35 fixed-term and 51 permanent
- 180 posts vacant posts also cut
- 260 million francs: US arrears or late payments, according to RTS
- 600 people have left since 2025, according to the staff union
- 1,170 employees at the Geneva headquarters at the end of December 2025, out of 3,454 in total
What it means for businesses
- Geneva economy : the union estimates that 290 employees will have left by the end of 2026, often with their families
- International Geneva : the Swiss Confederation fears functions may be relocated away from Geneva
Who says what
- Séverine Deboos (President of the ILO Staff Union): “Behind the figures, there are people”
- Yves Defferrard (Regional Secretary of Unia): welcomes an unprecedented mobilisation within International Geneva
- Mireille Senn (Secretary of the Geneva Trade Union Action Community): highlights the paradox of staff tasked with defending working conditions
- Samir Yeddes (Swiss Mission to the international organisations): Switzerland says it is “very concerned about the financial situation”
What's next
- New review of the job cuts in March 2027
- The Confederation is negotiating a written commitment to keep the headquarters in Geneva for ten years
Further reading
Sources
- RTS – ILO: mobilisation in Geneva against job cuts
- Le Courrier – The International Labour Organization lays off staff without negotiating
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