Employee benefits

Restructuring

Post-retirement employee benefits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comprising:

Current

At the beginning of the financial year

Charge/(credit) for the year:

Underlying

Discounting

Yield on defined benefit scheme assets

Exchange variations

Released during the year

Remeasurement losses taken to retained earnings

Utilisation

Transfers and other movements

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

The expenditure associated with total employee benefits will occur in a pattern consistent with when employees choose to exercise their entitlement to benefits.

2

Total restructuring provisions include provisions for terminations and office closures.

3

The net liability recognised in the Consolidated Balance Sheet includes US$127 million present value of funded defined benefits pension obligation (2024: US$142 million) offset by fair value of defined benefit scheme assets US$134 million (2024: US$147 million), US$67 million present value of unfunded defined pension and post-retirement medical benefits obligation (2024: US$63 million) and US$276 million unfunded post-employment benefits obligation in Chile (2024: US$242 million).

there is a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of past events

it is more likely than not that a permanent outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation

the amount can be reliably estimated and measured at the present value of management’s best estimate of the cash outflow required to settle the obligation at the reporting date

Liabilities for benefits accruing to employees up until the reporting date in respect of wages and salaries, annual leave and any accumulating sick leave are recognised in the period the related service is rendered.

 

Liabilities recognised in respect of short-term employee benefits expected to be settled within 12 months are measured at the amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled.

 

Liabilities for other long-term employee benefits, including long service leave, are measured as the present value of estimated future payments for the services provided by employees up to the reporting date.

 

Liabilities that are not expected to be settled within 12 months are discounted at the reporting date using market yields of high-quality corporate bonds or government bonds for countries where there is no deep market for corporate bonds. The rates used reflect the terms to maturity and currency that match, as closely as possible, the estimated future cash outflows.

 

In relation to industry-based long service leave funds, the Group’s liability, including obligations for funding shortfalls, is determined after deducting the fair value of dedicated assets of such funds.

 

Liabilities for short and long-term employee benefits (other than unpaid wages and salaries) are disclosed within employee benefits.

 

Other liabilities for unpaid wages and salaries related to the current period are recognised in other creditors.

 

Restructuring provisions are recognised when:

 

•   the Group has developed a detailed formal plan identifying the business or part of the business concerned, the location and approximate number of employees affected, a detailed estimate of the associated costs, and an appropriate timeline

 

•   the restructuring has either commenced or been publicly announced and can no longer be withdrawn

 

Payments that are not expected to be settled within 12 months of the reporting date are measured at the present value of the estimated future cash payments expected to be made by the Group.

 

 

For defined contribution schemes or schemes operated on an industry-wide basis where it is not possible to identify assets attributable to the participation by the Group’s employees, the pension charge is calculated on the basis of contributions payable. The Group contributed US$395 million during the financial year (2024: US$368 million; 2023: US$358 million) to defined contribution plans and multi-employer defined contribution plans. These contributions are expensed as incurred.

 

 

The Group operates or participates in a number of defined benefit pension schemes throughout the world, all of which are closed to new entrants. The funding of the schemes complies with local regulations. The assets of the schemes are generally held separately from those of the Group and are administered by trustees or management boards. The Group also operates a number of unfunded post-retirement medical schemes in the United States, Canada and Europe.

 

For defined benefit schemes, an asset or liability is recognised in the balance sheet based at the present value of defined benefit obligations less, where funded, the fair value of plan assets, except that any such asset cannot exceed the present value of expected refunds from and reductions in future contributions to the plan. Full actuarial valuations are prepared by local actuaries for all schemes, using discount rates based on market yields at the reporting date on high-quality corporate bonds or by reference to national government bonds if high-quality corporate bonds are not available.

 

Where funded, scheme assets are invested in a diversified range of asset classes, predominantly comprising bonds and equities.