On 17 and 18 July, we held information sessions for former employees and pensioners. During this session, they were updated about the recent developments in our pension at Shell. You can watch the session via this video (in Dutch)

You can find the slides here.

In June 2024 several information sessions were held to update you on the upcoming changes in our pension plans. You can find the slides and the recordings on Viva Engage (only for Shell employees). We will soon update the FAQ-document with the received questions.

Last week, Shell NL and the Central Staff Council took an important step in the process in the transition to the new pension system (‘Wet toekomst pensioenen’). After an intensive period of working closely together and going through the process with the hearing committee, the request for consent was submitted to the Central Staff Council last week. This request for consent builds on the outline agreement reached late last year. This is an important milestone in the process. Shell NL and the Central Staff Council have also started information sessions for all employees in which they will be updated on the changes in the pension plan.

We expect the response of the Central Staff Council by the end of June. After completion of the consultation process, the transition plans will be finalized and made available on this website. The transition plans will also then be sent to the pension funds for assignment acceptance and further implementation. The transition plans, which are required by law, are rather technical documents in which all choices, alternatives and considerations are described. More accessible versions will also be made available to the various participant groups.

During the information sessions in the summer of 2023, we have shown the differences between conversion (invaren) and hard closing (hard sluiten) on the basis of various personas (maatmensen). At the request of you and the Central Staff Council, these insights have been expanded and we have developed new personas.

In this interactive PDF file, you can see what conversion or hard closing can mean for the personas. The graphics and diagrams provide insight into the possible consequences of conversion or hard closing the fund and how these can play out over a longer period of time. This serves as background information; during the information sessions, you will be informed on what choices Shell Nederland and the COR have made and why. The insights following from this interactive file will be useful to better understand the information that will be shared during the upcoming information sessions.

Be sure to watch this video that explains how to read the graphics and diagrams.

The figures we show here are based on the financial situation of the fund as at 31 December 2023 and the assumptions and distribution rules that we have in mind in the context of the transition. No rights can be derived from this. Adjustments can still be made and will also affect the graphics and diagrams shown. The final decision on conversion or hard closure lies with the board of trustees.

We hope to see you at the information sessions! For more information about dates and locations, see this post (only Shell employees).

In our previous update we indicated that we had made great progress in the process to get to a new pension scheme.  Meanwhile we have reached the next stage in which the VOEKS (association of former employees of Royal Dutch Shell) Hearing Right Committee (‘VHC’) will exercise the so-called hearing right and will give its opinion on the proposal for a new pension scheme and the transition thereto. We expect to hear more from VOEKS early May.

After this the intended proposal as discussed with the Central Staff Council (COR) and with the VHC will be presented through a formal request for consent to the COR. This request for consent will be published by the COR and at that moment we also give more information on our intended new pension scheme and the transition measures.  Information sessions will again be organized at a number of the locations in The Netherlands. Also virtual sessions will be held, both in Dutch and in English. More information on these information sessions will be shared soon.

In addition to the hearing right of the VHC and the consultation of the COR, we will continue the preliminary discussions with the Boards of the pension funds (SNPS and SSPF). The Boards of the pension funds do have the duty to assess the new pension scheme amongst others on executability and it being balanced. We aim to implement the changes in the SNPS-scheme as per 1 January 2026. For the SSPF-scheme that will be 1 January 2027.