Pension Schemes
A number of different pension plans are available for Migros Group employees. The majority of Migros Group employees are insured under a defined benefit Swiss pension fund.
Under the Swiss Federal Law on Occupational Old Age, Survivors' and Disability Pension Plans (BVG), employees insured in Switzerland are insured against the risks of old age, death and disability in various legally independent pension funds. The largest pension funds are the Migros Pension Fund, the VORSORGE in globo M foundation (previously the Globus Group Pension Fund) and the Denner Pension Fund.
These pension funds are foundations which are legally separate from Migros Group and whose executive bodies are made up equally of employer and employee representatives. The executive bodies determine, among other things, the amount of pension benefits as well as the investment strategy for pension plan assets, based on an asset liability study carried out at regular intervals. The asset liability studies are based on the pension obligations calculated in accordance with statutory pension provisions, since the former are authoritative for cash flows. The regulations drawn up by the executive bodies as part of the statutory investment provisions also form the basis for the way in which the assets of the pension plans are invested. Responsibility for their implementation lies with the investment committees of the executive bodies concerned. The management board of each pension fund is entrusted with the investment of the assets.
The benefits provided by the pension plans are significantly higher than the minimum level prescribed by law. If an insured party leaves either Migros Group or the corresponding pension plan before reaching retirement age, the vested benefits acquired on the basis of statutory pension provisions are transferred to the insured party's new pension provision solution. In addition to the funds brought into the pension plan by the insured party, the vested benefits also include employee and employer contributions as well as a mandatory premium. Upon reaching retirement age, the insured party can choose whether to draw their benefits in the form of an annuity or as a lump sum. Within the context of the financial options available to a pension plan, and in accordance with statutory pension provisions, pensions must be adapted in line with inflation.
