FICSA Circular 933 2002

FICSA/CIRC/933, Geneva, 21 March 2002

    REPORT ON THE FIRST REGULAR SESSION OF 2002 OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM HIGH LEVEL COMMITTEE ON MANAGEMENT (HLCM)

    New York, 4 and 5 March 2002)

The first regular session of the High-Level Committee on Management (HLCM) in 2002 was held in New York on 4 and 5 March and was attended by the General Secretary of FICSA, Ms. Janice Albert, and the FICSA Liaison/Research Officer, Ms. Anne Marie Pinou.

A report on the meeting (Annex 1) is attached along with copies of the Federation’s two written submissions Annex 2 and Annex 3 and the statement by the FICSA General Secretary (Annex 4), as circulated at the end of the meeting although the actual speech was shortened.

Annex 1

REPORT ON THE FIRST REGULAR SESSION OF 2002 OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM HIGH LEVEL COMMITTEE ON MANAGEMENT (HLCM)

  • On Tuesday, 5 March, FICSA was invited to address the High Level Committee on Management (HLCM), which was chaired by Mr. D. Waller, Deputy Director-General of Management, IAEA. (See Annex 4 for the full text of FICSA’s presentation.)

  • FICSA was asked to keep its oral presentation short to allow time for dialogue with the Committee members. The General Secretary’s verbal comments centered on elements of the new pay and benefits system which are under review, namely, rewards for performance, creation of a senior executive service, the need to review the Master Standard and most importantly, the need for close consultation with the staff in this process. The General Secretary also confirmed FICSA’s commitment to ensuring the optimum security of staff in the field, with particular emphasis on local staff. She also commented positively on the note by UNDP (document FICSA/C/55/CRP.10) regarding the participation of staff representatives in the HLCM machinery. The General Secretary ended her presentation with two items which were not on the agenda – the need for HLCM to examine the problem of harassment of staff in the field, a problem which was widely reported upon at the last FICSA Council, and a request that consideration be given by the administrations to funding some of the Federation’s activities.

  • Following FICSA’s presentation, CCISUA took the floor to address the Committee. The President of CCISUA, referring to UNDP’s paper, stressed how important it is for staff to be involved at the policy development stage. She also stated that CCISUA would like to give its full support to its colleagues from FICSA on the point made that more needs to be done regarding the security and safety of local staff. She asked that special consideration be given to headquarters’ security issues in light of the events of 11 September. Regarding the pay and benefits review, she stated that the concerns of CCISUA had been put forward at the various focus groups and working groups on the pay and benefits system. She also brought to the attention of the Committee another item, which was not on the agenda, i.e. contractual reform.

  • The Chairman then opened the floor to questions.

  • On the issue of harassment, the Director, Specialist Services Division, UN asked whether FICSA’s reference to harassment referred only to sexual harassment or included a broader definition of harassment. The Chairman also commented on this issue by pointing out a recent CNN report on sexual harassment in the field, which he added, was a very embarrassing report. The General Secretary confirmed that harassment should be taken to include all forms of harassment (e.g. bullying, ridicule, as well as sexual harassment.)

  • Regarding FICSA’s comments about the problems with the establishment of a senior executive service, the Director, Bureau of Human Resources Management, UNESCO asked how the concept of a senior executive service could apply to all staff. The General Secretary clarified that the concept of a dual career track should not be limited only to senior Professional staff but should also extend to General Service and lower level professional staff.

  • The Director, Bureau of Administration and Services, ICAO turned to the President of CCISUA to comment on her concerns that permanent appointments not be abolished, that the number of political appointees not be so great and that there be a guarantee of the independence of international civil servants. He wished to know how there should not be a loss of independence for international civil servants and indicated his surprise at hearing from the President of CCISUA that there is no supervision over managers. Addressing FICSA’s concerns over the award of cash bonuses, he also asked if the suggestion that there be non-cash bonuses does not contradict that which was discussed at the last pay and benefits review meeting.

  • The President of CCISUA replied that permanent contracts should be restored to an acceptable level at Headquarters in New York where career appointments represent less than 50 per cent of staff. She clarified her point that programme managers have a lot of independence over promotion, mobility and daily assignments and that often decisions are made due to feelings rather than substance. She added that it is impossible to appeal against manager’s decisions and she does not want to see the appeal system clogged due to bad management processes.

  • The General Secretary of FICSA replied that the issue of cash bonuses was raised in the context of recruitment and that in this context, the award of such bonuses could create inequities. Addressing accountability, she emphasized that, should there be a system of cash bonuses, it is important that it be transparent and fair.

  • The Chair asked whether there were any comments on FICSA’s request for administrations to fund staff participation in meetings.

  • The Director, Division of Personnel, IAEA, agreed that the staff representatives should participate in policy making and gave his assurances that close collaboration would continue with the HR Network as had been the case with the former CCAQ. He pointed out that FICSA and CCISUA had fully participated in the pay and benefits reform and that without staff representatives' participation, the reform would be a futile exercise. He also stated that, as we move ahead with the reform, that he is pleased to hear there’s greater flexibility on the staff side. Regarding career appointments, while he acknowledged that this might be an ideal, he also acknowledged that this might not always be realistic. He further stated that he was glad that UNDP’s ideas were positively received.

  • The Chairman stated that the participation of staff at the policy level is encouraging for him. As an example, he pointed to the SMCC in which a new appraisal system had been prepared and he pointed out that, as staff had participated in this process, that this resulted in endorsement of the new system by both the staff and the management.

  • The Executive Director, General Management, WHO, also stated that the participation of staff is essential and he found the issue of financing staff participation an interesting one. He asked whether staff representation would risk being compromised if the administrations were funding it. Regarding contracts, he said there are other approaches to contractual reform rather than just considering fixed-term and career contracts and he asked whether the staff would consider other approaches. Regarding the security of local staff, he said this is a very delicate question and asked whether the staff representatives would consider what we are doing as being on the right track.

  • The President of CCISUA quickly pointed out, in support of FICSA’s request for financing that both the UN Staff Union and CCISUA are already partially financed by the administration and that the independence of the Staff Union has nothing to do with financing. The General Secretary of FICSA pointed out that her post, in addition to that of the President of FICSA are already financed by the organizations and she did not see any conflict here.

  • The Research and Liaison officer addressed the comment regarding staff security by stating that if being on the right track means applauding the strengthening of UNSECOORD and addressing issues such as evacuation to ensure that local staff are covered, then yes we are on the right track. She acknowledged that particularly where evacuation is concerned that this is a delicate issue but that the important element is that all staff are covered adequately and given the same choices, particularly in precarious situations.

  • The Director, Bureau of Human Resources Management, UNESCO, pointed out that UNESCO already provides support for staff representatives and feels that a strong rationale is needed to justify further [financial] support.

  • The Chief, Personnel and Social Protection Department, ITU welcomed the participation of staff in the ICSC. He commented on the fact that there are two staff federations and asked whether consideration would be given to merging into one federation. Regarding contractual reform, he pointed out that the ITU was intending to propose contractual changes which would be in line with the ILO Tribunal where the contractual policy obliges the organizations, after 4 years of fixed term service (i.e. 2 periods of two year unbroken contracts), to treat staff as if they hold career appointments. He added that he was not yet sure whether ITU’s governing body would agree to this. The Under Secretary-General for Administration and Management, UN, in asking for clarification of this new scheme was told that after 4 years of service on fixed-term contracts, staff would be considered for a career appointment. He also asked what was meant by a career appointment to which the reply was that this differed from an indefinite appointment in that this would be a permanent appointment, i.e. until retirement age.

  • On the pay and benefits system, the Director, Administration, IMO, stated that there’s tension between promoting accountability and being supportive of reform and that it is absolutely essential to have the participation of FICSA. He suggested that, as the issues are complex, there may be a possibility for FICSA and CCISUA to have some experts to stay the course of the debate. He further stated that if FICSA agreed to this suggestion, it would be up to the organizations themselves to release and provide a particular staff member. He felt that it is better to imagine [funding from the administrations] this way, then to imagine a new fund for this purpose.

  • The General Secretary of FICSA stated that this would be an idea FICSA could consider and that perhaps financial support could be earmarked for special proposals.

  • The Director, Division of Personnel, IAEA, stated that it was not only the travel costs, but also the costs of releasing staff members for FICSA activities that needed to be considered. He felt that one should take a look at the total picture to see what is already provided. He also asked whether [support in terms of funding] is possible on a cost-sharing basis. The HLCM Chairman suggested that the Committee make a recommendation to the HR network to include this topic on their agenda.

  • The Director, Bureau of Administration and Services, ICAO, pointed out that ICAO over recent years had funded FICSA activities to a considerable extent and asked whether there are other ways for staff to participate in meetings, such as the use of video conferencing and email. He suggested that these methods also be explored where organizations cannot meet their costs.

  • The Executive Director, General Management, WHO, stated that it would be an excellent idea for the next meeting of HLCM to consider what has already been provided in the way of financial support for staff representation in order that they have a total picture. That way, he continued, they can look at what is being requested in addition to that which is already provided.

  • The Chairman thanked both FICSA and CCISUA for their participation and expressed satisfaction with the dialogue.

      Annex 2

      CEB/2002/HLCM/3/CRP.3
      25 February 2002

      HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE ON MANAGEMENT (HLCM)

      Third Session
      New York, 4-5 March 2002

      Comments of the Federation of International Civil Servants Association (FICSA)

    1. FICSA appreciates the recognition of the importance of staff representative’s participation in the deliberations of the HLCM. We share the view expressed in the document prepared by UNDP that open dialogue between Administrations and staff representatives will lead to constructive solutions to the challenges the UN is facing with regard to human resource management.

    2. Because of the recent election of the General Secretary and President at the FICSA Council (4-8 February 2002), the FICSA Secretariat was unable to present a paper or suggest additional items for the agenda of the upcoming HLCM meeting. At this time, we have two brief comments on the background papers provided to FICSA. In the future, we intend to provide more substantive papers for the consideration of the HLCM members.

      3. Security

    3. Security is of the utmost importance to the staff and FICSA welcomes the decision to create more permanent machinery to highlight the importance of these matters and to ensure that the agencies take action to improve security for all staff. We would like to draw attention to the need to include issues affecting locally recruited staff as well as international staff in deliberations about security measures. We are eager to participate in these discussions.

      4. Geographical balance

    4. FICSA fully appreciates the need for geographic balance among UN staff. FICSA would like to suggest that guidelines be prepared to assist Administrations which may face difficulties in weighing the consideration of geographic balance, gender balance and career development for internal candidates when selecting candidates for posts.

      5. Annex 3
       Submission by Ms. Janice Albert, General Secretary of FICSA to the Third Session of HLCM

      New York, 4 March 2002

      FICSA appreciates this opportunity to provide comments for the Third Session of the High Level Committee on Management. We regret that we have been unable to meet the Committee’s deadline this year due to a recent change in leadership of the Federation. We are pleased, however, to be able to provide these brief comments.

      Review of the Pay and Benefits System

      FICSA fully recognizes the need for reform in the Pay and Benefits System. We appreciate the substantial efforts to address current problems, which are reflected in the proposals by the ICSC Secretariat.

      In general, FICSA believes that staff will appreciate the features of the new system that allow greater career opportunities, more recognition of achievements and rewards when performance is above the norm.

      FICSA welcomes the effort to update and simplify the Master Standard.

      FICSA believes that many staff members will appreciate the option for dual career tracks. However, this dual track concept should not be limited to senior staff but should be offered to all staff, preferably early in their careers so that they can prepare accordingly.

      In principle, we agree that managerial functions should become more professional. Without improvements in management, we are doubtful that all line managers will possess the communication skills to provide appropriate encouragement and feedback to staff, which are essential for implementing the new system. Additional work should be carried out to improve performance evaluation systems. Training for managers will be needed if they are to assume responsibility for distributing monetary awards.

      Regarding bonuses, FICSA would prefer the use of non-cash bonuses for the present time. While appreciating the difficulties some agencies face in recruitment, we are concerned that large cash bonuses may lead to inequities among staff who are carrying out similar functions in similar duty stations.

      We believe that the correct application of the Noblemaire principle will help the UN to attract highly qualified and motivated staff and that this would be preferable to a system of bonuses which only benefits a few individuals.

      The Noblemaire principle should be better applied and the decrease in the margin that exists should be brought to the attention of the General Assembly. FICSA supports the revision of the methodology to include a wider comparative base.

      Of foremost importance is that the reforms must not result in deterioration in future incomes and status of staff.

      Staff security

      FICSA welcomes the new cost sharing arrangements and the recent strengthening of UNSECOORD. As always, FICSA advocates that security measures must adequately care for locally recruited staff.

      Harassment of field staff

      We would like to draw attention to two matters that are not on the agenda for this meeting. FICSA has serious concerns about an increase in all types of harassment of staff members working in the field. We suggest that each agency intensify efforts to eliminate harassment by creating mechanisms ranging from local arbitration panels to informal conflict mediation committees to oversight machinery, similar to the Office of the Inspector General.

      HIV/AIDS in the workplace

      FICSA would like to mention the need to address issues concerning HIV/AIDS in the UN workplace. While progress has been made to ensure that HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and access to drugs is equitable for all staff, several key elements of the strategy require more funding. Resources are required to support medical services, for an inter-agency post and focal points at country, regional and global levels, and to launch the HealthNet.

      Conclusion

      In conclusion, FICSA believes that each of the issues noted above cannot be addressed without full participation of staff. As staff representatives, we look forward to future opportunities to consult with the HLCM.

      Annex 4

      Statement by Ms. Janice Albert, General Secretary of FICSA to the Third Session of the HLCM

      New York, 5 March 2002

      On behalf of the Federation of International Civil Servants Associations, I would like to express our appreciation for this invitation today. We wish to take this opportunity to give our views on 4 topics which are of vital interest to the staff we represent in headquarters and field duty stations.

      The first topic I would like to discuss is the proposal for reform in the pay and benefits system. FICSA fully recognizes the need for reform and we appreciate the substantial efforts which are being made by the ICSC Secretariat and HR managers in conceptualizing a new approach.

      We believe that staff will welcome the features of the new system that allow greater career opportunities, more recognition of achievements and rewards when performance is exceptional.

      FICSA agrees that it is time to update and simplify the Master Standard and to create new job classifications. This will help both staff members and supervisors to understand what is expected of them.

      We think that the proposal for dual career ladders, one focusing on management capacities and the other on specializations such as technical expertise is an excellent idea. This could strengthen the management and technical work of the UN agencies. However, FICSA believes that this dual ladders concept should not be limited to senior staff as it is envisioned in the current proposal. Instead, these options should be offered to all staff, preferably early in their careers so that they can plan accordingly. A much wider range of training opportunities will be needed than exists at the present time.

      Regarding the proposal for a senior executive service, we note that improvements in management are essential and we appreciate the need for leadership development. We are doubtful that all line managers currently possess the communication skills needed to give encouragement and feedback to staff; this is essential for implementing the new system. Improvements in performance evaluation systems are needed.

      Bonuses are also a feature of the proposed system. At this time, FICSA would prefer the use of non-cash bonuses. We support the notion of local committees comprised of both staff and managers who would decide on the appropriate types of awards. This may contribute to developing clarity and consensus on the meaning of outstanding performance and avoid accusations of favouritism.

      FICSA is very cognizant of the difficulties some agencies face in recruitment. However, we are concerned that large cash bonuses may lead to inequities among staff that carry out similar functions in similar duty stations.

      We believe the UN will be able to attract highly qualified and motivated staff if the Noblemaire principle is applied appropriately and if individuals perceive the organizations to be places where they will be able to enjoy career fulfilment.

      In the application of the Noblemaire principle, I should note that FICSA supports the revision of the methodology to include a wider comparative base.

      In closing on this topic, I would like to stress that, from FICSA’s perspective, it is of foremost importance that the reforms in the pay and benefits system not result in deterioration in future incomes and status of staff.

      Now I would like to turn briefly to some other issues.

      On the agenda item about staff security, FICSA welcomes the new cost sharing arrangements and the recent strengthening of UNSECOORD. As always, FICSA advocates that security measures must adequately care for locally recruited staff.

      With your permission Mr. Chairman, I would like to draw the Committee’s attention to two matters that are not on the agenda for this meeting.

      At the recent FICSA Council, our members expressed their serious concerns about widespread harassment of staff members working in the field. We are speaking of harassment such as ridicule, bullying, discrimination, inappropriate requests for services, in addition to sexual harassment.

      We urge that the HLCM consider ways to intensify efforts to eliminate harassment by creating mechanisms to address these problems swiftly when they arise. Such mechanisms could range from local arbitration panels to informal conflict mediation committees to oversight machinery, similar to the Office of the Inspector General, which exist in some organizations.

      On the problem of HIV/AIDS, FICSA would like to reiterate the need to address issues concerning this disease in the UN workplace. While progress has been made to ensure that prevention, care, treatment and access to drugs is equitable for all staff, several key elements of the strategy require additional funding. Resources are required to support medical services, an inter-agency post and focal points at country, regional and global levels, and to launch the HealthNet.

      Finally, FICSA believes that each of the issues I have mentioned cannot be addressed without full participation of staff. As staff representatives, we look forward to future opportunities to consult with the HLCM.

      Mr. Chairman and Committee Members, I would like to thank you for your attention.

      Thank you.