The President was received by Mr. Jean-Louis Rossi, President of the OECD Staff Association, and by Ms. Delcamp, Legal Counsel. The Staff Association continues to network with FICSA and its membership, which satisfies immediate needs. They will be participating in the next COIPA, which will be held in London under the auspices of the EBRD Staff Association. Two themes will be addressed: working hours and career development.

With regard to the introduction of continuing contracts in the UN, Mr. Rossi explained that such contracts had already been introduced in OECD and that the Staff Association had negotiated for advance notice of termination of up to 10 months, instead of the normal three months.

Mr. Rossi expressed interest in the views of the other regional and international development banks and asked about the possibility of establishing some kind of interface. The President mentioned his hope for the creation of an expanded Federation with regional hubs (Washington, Brussels, Geneva, ...).

The Union advised the President on which themes to develop with the Director of Personnel. These included:

1. Abolition of 200 vacant posts: Were they the only vacant posts? What would happen to the UNESCO Courrier?

2. Reduction of the number of D positions from 230 to 135. Why was the initial figure exceeded?

3. CSG-CRDS

4. Closing of National Offices. What would happen to international and local staff?

5. Release of the FICSA Vice-President to participate in FICSA activities.

The President was met by Mr. Jean-Pierre Croiziers de Lacvivier, and introduced to the Director of the Office and the Human Resources (HR) Manager. A short presentation was made about FICSA.

The Office has only 35 staff. The Staff Association was created recently, with the support of management.

After an initial exchange with the Direction, the President, HR Manager and staff representatives met together for further discussions. It became clear that there were many issues of common interest. The President suggested that the Staff Association participate in the COIPA meeting in London in October, and interface with UNESCO STU.

The HR Manager suggested that because of the small number of staff, it would be useful for the Staff Association to join forces with others. The President suggested a federation based on the FUNSA model.

The President was received by Mr. Boudchiche, Vice-President of the Staff Association, and Ms. Lefèvre, who deals with retired staff members’ issues in consultation with Ms. Françoise Laporte (UNESCO).

The Agency has approximately 250 staff. The Staff Association expressed keen interest in FICSA membership. They also agreed to look into the possibility of attending the next COIPA meeting in Geneva.

There were many issues in common. The President encouraged the Staff Association to maintain contact with FICSA and STU through the FICSA Vice-President Marielle Richon.

The President and Vice-President met with Ms. Dufresne to discuss CSG-CRDS, and the release of the Vice-President for FICSA activities.

The President informed Ms. Dufresne of his intention to make a formal request to the High Level Committee on Management (HLCM) to obtain clear guidelines on the release of the FICSA Vice-President. On the subject of CSG-CRDS, the Vice-President pointed out that, as UNESCO staff did not benefit from national unemployment payments and social security, CSG-CRDS should not be levied against their salaries. (See also FICSA Update No. 27.)

Concerning the proliferation of staff unions at UNESCO, Ms. Dufresne said that she recognized only two: STU and AIPU.

Regarding the reforms underway in the organization, Ms. Dufresne said she was considering introducing contracts of unlimited duration, as used by WFP, but with arrangements more suited to UNESCO.

To facilitate exchanges between staff representatives of the two organizations, FICSA hosted a cocktail reception. The President and Vice-President again noted that there were many areas of common interest, and a need to share experiences.

The President and Vice-President met with Mr. Barbosa, UNESCO Deputy Director. The President was convinced that Mr. Barbosa is doing his best to ensure a positive relationship with staff representatives. His straightforward manner was most appreciated.

In response to a query about the abolition of 200 vacant posts, Mr. Barbosa explained the procedures in detail and offered his assurances that the Courrier staff would not be affected. Instead, they would be re-assigned in a rational manner within UNESCO.

Regarding the closing of a number of National Offices, he was positive about the redeployment of international staff but regrettably informed the President and Vice-President that locally-recruited staff would not enjoy the same treatment and would certainly lose their jobs.

When asked about UNESCO’s policy regarding non-payment of alimonies by a staff member (reference was made to the case of Garcia vs. Ponce), he said that he was not aware of the case and that he would investigate.

With regard to CSG-CRDS, Mr. Barbosa said that it would be announced at the afternoon meeting with the Director-General that these social charges would not be applied to the staff; Ms. Dufresne would be instructed to provide STU with all relevant documents; and the Administration planned to reimburse staff in full before December 2001.

Mr. Matsuura, Director-General, confirmed the information about CSG-CRDS that had been provided by Mr. Barbosa.

The President and the Regional EXCOM Member for Asia participated in a meeting arranged by UNDP which was attended by ten staff members from the following organizations: FAO, UNICEF, ICAO, UNHCR, WHO, UNESCO and UNDP. The FICSA officers provided a briefing about the Federation and its recent achievements, and tried to stimulate interest in the creation of a FUNSA.

Participants raised the following concerns:

FAO said that, under the present health insurance scheme, while the premiums allowed for deductions of fees in Rome, no such deductions were permitted in the field where medical treatment was generally less expensive. This implied that staff at headquarters were being subsidized by field staff. One remedy would be to ensure that field staff also enjoy rebates in the profit-sharing system.

UNHCR asked about mutually agreed separation packages and whether, when nearing retirement age (58-59), the amount of the package could exceed the number of months remaining on the contract. The President would provide information on separation packages, and suggested that UNHCR liaise with UNDP, which was also undergoing a RIF.

ICAO asked about the possibility of deferring retirement until age 62 and about the staff welfare package. The President promised to send information about both issues.

ESCAP: the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is one of the Regional Offices of the United Nations. At present, the ESCAP Staff Association is a member of CCISUA.

The FICSA President met with the President of the ESCAP Staff Association, Mr. Dakhal. The latter explained that the Staff Association sits on the "re-engineering group" which is looking into restructuring. The Staff Association also sits on the Appointment and Promotion Boards.

Mr. Dakhal drew attention to what he considered as one of the drawbacks of continuing contracts: that a staff member could be terminated without abolishing the post.

The possibility of re-unifying FICSA and CCISUA was discussed. Both Presidents supported entering into discussions on this subject.

The President and Regional Member for Asia met with Mr. Kim, ESCAP Executive Secretary. FICSA briefed the Executive Secretary on the meeting with the Security Council and efforts to obtain full labour rights for international civil servants. The re-unification of FICSA and CCISUA was mentioned, which obtained Mr. Kim’s support.

The President met with FUNSA President Mr. Mandapati at the WHO office, and was introduced to the Vice-President of the WHO Staff Association. The President of the Staff Association was in Lyons for the Global Council. The FICSA President was also introduced to the General Secretary of the FUNSA, Mr. Rajeev Vijh.

Mr. Mandapati (WHO) and Mr. Rajeev Vijh, Asian and Pacific Center for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), provided a briefing on various issues of concern to the FUNSA. There was a specific complaint: the FUNSA would prefer that active staff members rather than retirees conduct workshops; four experts on salary surveys and classification were available.

The following issues related to APCTT were discussed:

1. Recognition (or non-recognition) of the Staff Association.

2. Lack of consultation on staff issues.

3. Use of purchase orders instead of special services agreements.

4. Wide use of UN volunteers, even for core functions.

5. Need for a classification exercise. One such exercise had been conducted by the Chief of the Personnel Services Section at ESCAP, but no follow-up action had been taken.

APCTT employs 14 General Service and 2 International Professionals; there are no National Professional Officers, but there are UN Volunteers and consultants.

Mr. Bischoff stated that he supported the Staff Association; however, the Association would need to produce Statutes and hold elections. Mr.Vijh informed the President afterwards that the Association had produced Statutes, which were similar to those of the ESCAP Staff Association, and had elected their representatives.

Mr. Jurgen stated that UN Volunteers were not employed for core functions. It was his belief that staff should work beyond their job descriptions, without however any expectation of promotion to P positions because India is over-represented and there are no G to P exams in the country.

It became clear to FICSA that a classification workshop should be organized. The Federation would address that issue and the question of Statutes and elections. The President urged the ESCAP Staff Association to join the Federation.

There are 46 staff in the WFP office. The office is about to decentralize to various (7) States in India to be closer to the clients. Efforts are underway to ensure that the process of decentralization is as smooth as possible. There are incentives: 30 days relocation expenses for the staff member and 15 days each for the spouse and dependants. In some cases, if possible, one grade is also offered.

A culture of change is required to remain competitive. In this regard, Mr. Medrano recognized the need for training.

Mr. Raman also attended the meeting.

Ms. Johnson expressed agreement with many of the Federation’s views.

The President met with Mr. Sherma, former President of the Staff Association, at the UNESCO Office. Ms. Sondhi Tripta was not available. The office employs around 25 staff members. The President and Mr. Sherma met with Mr. Alam, Director a.i., and Mr. Perera, in charge of Human Resources.

The view was expressed that, in UNESCO, selected people were sent to the field but no one from the field was ever sent to headquarters. Moreover, promotions in the field were hard to attain. It had been decided recently to raise the budget from $2.5 to 7 million to allow for promotions, but this had not yet been implemented.

Administrators agreed to the idea of a reclassification exercise, and that it should not be conducted from headquarters, but by the WHO office in New Delhi.

The President mentioned that FICSA would conduct a workshop on classification with the hope that it would trigger a classification exercise. Administrators would be delighted to attend. FICSA would contact the Regional EXCOM Member for Asia in this regard.

The President met with Ms. Singh, Deputy Regional Director, at the WHO office (the Regional Director was in Lyons) and with Mr. Nolan, Director of Administration and Finance. The President was accompanied by Mr. Vijh, General Secretary of FUNSA and APCTT, and by Mr. Pinto, President of the UNICEF Staff Association.

The President gave an extensive briefing about FICSA and also thanked Ms. Singh for the beautiful speech she made at the opening of the salary survey workshop recently conducted in Delhi. He also thanked Mr. Nolan for his strong support of the workshop.

The President urged the WHO-SEAR Staff Association to re-join FICSA. The Association’s representatives agreed. The President suggested that the WHO-SEAR Staff Association might consider inviting FICSA to hold its Council in New Delhi, possibly in 2003. This was noted.

The President drew attention to the need for a classification review, with WHO-SEAR as the focal Association. They recognized that career growth was a concern in New Delhi and expressed support for a workshop sponsored by FICSA.

They also agreed that, although a comprehensive survey was scheduled to begin next year, which would involve a great deal of preparation and would be likely to include postponements, a mini-survey should be conducted in the interim. The President pointed out that the WHO-SEAR Staff Association would need to invest itself fully in the survey to ensure that the results were satisfactory. Mr. Nolan said that problems arose from the software used to derive results.

A lunchtime meeting was held at UNICEF. The organization has 315 staff throughout India and has decentralized. The President raised the question of FICSA affiliation.

Before the meeting, the President was introduced to Mr. Radhakrishnan, UNDP Programme Officer. He is one of the three people on whom the Federation can rely for conducting its workshops in the region, along with Mr. Aggarwal (WHO) and Mr. Mandapati (WHO).

Mr. Radhakrishnan had many suggestions pertaining to social security and medical insurance plans. He mentioned that UNDP in New Delhi has around 100 staff. Early separation packages had been offered on the basis of 18 months compensation.

The meeting itself was overwhelming in the number of queries and the level of frustration expressed. The following are only some of the concerns raised:

1. FICSA documentation, in particular Updates, does not reach them;

2. Judgement in re Rana (no. 2030) has ruled in favour of staff but there is not yet general implementation;

3. Separation packages:
   1. only marginal advantages

   2. documentation should be gathered across agencies to identify best practice;

   3. some "special" individuals receive special treatment; this should be condemned publicly

   4. negotiations should be conducted across agencies (possibly through HLCM) to establish clear and uniform guidelines for separations as well as minimum quotas for each agency;

4. Monitoring of HR management should be transparent. It should not be just the theme of a forum but a process with full participation of staff in routine controls;

5. Low morale and poor prospects for locally-recruited staff. Increased mobility should include possible transfers to NGOs and Governments;

6. Contracts have to be clarified and streamlined.

The President, accompanied by Mr. Pinto and Mr Vijh, met with Mr. Conroy, Senior Deputy Resident Representative (acting RR) and Mr. King, Deputy RR a.i.

The President gave a briefing about recent FICSA activities and drew their attention to the problem of low staff morale and frustration.

It was reported that UNDP had produced a questionnaire (360 degrees review) to evaluate the functioning of its offices. FICSA would like to review the questionnaire to see if it might be used at other offices.

The President met with these three former staff members who have been active in organizing workshops and providing advice to both field staff and FICSA. The following issues were raised:

1. Contribution of AFSM-SEARO;

2. PTCs should be combined into one body and meet at least once a year outside FICSA Council sessions;

3. FICSA should have designated offices in the field. Agencies could offer facilities for officers (focal points) of those offices;

4. FICSA should have a seat on LSSC.

The President, accompanied by Mr. Charles Kapes, Chairman of the UNRWA International Staff Association (ISA), met with the Director of UNRWA Lebanon. On the issue of salary surveys, it became clear that the common system procedures do not apply. The last involvement of ICSC in salary surveys was in 1984; however, the resulting increase was so high that UNRWA never called again on the Commission.

With regard to security, it is no longer an issue in Beirut. However, the situation in Gaza is dramatic.

There is a problem of employing people beyond retirement age.

ESCWA, UNICEF, UNDP and UNESCO staff attended a meeting with the President, Mr. Kapes and Mr. Diab Tabari, Chairman of UNRWA ASA. The President explained the advantages of creating a FUNSA and of affiliation to FICSA. Mr. Tabari would follow up with staff on establishing a FUNSA in Beirut.

UNESCO staff had very specific complaints, notably, the installation of a punch clock to monitor working hours. They expressed interest in creating a local staff association and had been in touch with UNESCO STU for assistance.

Other issues raised were:

1. In cases of evacuation, unfair distinctions were made between categories of staff.

2. Malicious Acts Insurance Policy: again, unfair distinctions were made between categories of staff.

ESCWA: the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, is a Regional Office of the United Nations with around 300 staff members. One of the major concerns at present is the attempt to abolish international status for 76 GS staff. As a first step, the Administration would like to eliminate rental subsidies for international GS staff.

ASU represents around 3000 staff in Lebanon. While UNRWA was created by the United Nations, conditions of service for Area Staff differ greatly from those of the common system. There are 20 grades, each with 21 steps. The equivalent of GS are grades 1 to 15, which represent the vast majority of staff. Grades 16-20 are reserved for National Professional Officers, which represent only about 60 staff members.

New categories of staff have been introduced: Prior to 1995, there was an A category with temporary indefinite status. Between 1995-1997 an X category was created, with three-year fixed-term contracts and no termination indemnity. Between 1997-1999, there was no recruitment. In 1999, a Z category was created. The Administration hopes to retain only the new Z category, and to eliminate all others. In addition, there are three sections of staff: General Services, Manual Workers and Teachers.

Staff representatives are quite dejected about the situation.

The President made a courtesy visit to the Resident Representative.