(Geneva, 18 June 2002)

Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, Colleagues

It is with honour and great pride that I address this august Assembly on behalf of the more than 30 000 workers of the United Nations system worldwide that the Federation of International Civil Servants’ Associations (FICSA) represents.

The Federation represents the interests of a class of workers long excluded from your attention. That class is the international civil servant. It includes the people who are interpreting this speech, who ensure that you receive your papers and reports in time, who make sure that you have water at your tables and who carry out the missions assigned by you.

You, the Member States, are our employers whom we serve with utmost dedication and loyalty, at times, under very difficult environments and beyond the call of duty. Unfortunately, however, you have forgotten us and failed to put in place the basic requirements and instruments aimed at protecting our rights, privileges and most importantly, our job security. Ask yourselves, have you done all you could do to be an exemplary employer? Do you treat us as you wish your employers treated you? Do you recognize, appreciate and reward those who serve you to the best of their abilities, giving all they have generously, putting their jobs before themselves, at times, putting their lives and personal safety second to carrying out their entrusted duties? Do you simply criticize us and don’t do anything about granting our rights and listening to our voices?

This year, FICSA is 50 years young. Since its creation in 1952, the Federation has struggled for the introduction of tripartite decision-making on the terms and conditions of service of the international civil servants. The Federation has, for fifty long years, reminded its employers (you) and the people it serves (again, you) that international civil servants do not have the right to collective bargaining, have little or no say on the conditions of their services as called for in some of the earliest labour conventions adopted by the international community and Member States who are the signatories to these. Again, you. Are we to understand from this situation that our patrons (you) are applying the principle of "don’t do as I do"? Are we more concerned about being politically correct, but lacking in implementation of our cherished principles and ideals of equity, equality, transparency and fair play? As we all well know, the root cause of all the problems we are facing is having different sets of standards for the same issues. Or do you have an attitude of "us (you) vs. them (the UN workers)". For fifty long years, FICSA has endeavoured to operationalize the right of international civil servants to participate, as full and equal partners, in their workplace within the democratic principles and rules of implementation that you all symbolize and cherish. Are we not aware of the fact that we are taking one step forward and two steps backward?

We certainly do not mean to upset the system in place. We are only requesting that our voices be heard in the existing bodies and structure and that the staff of the United Nations be shown the kind of respect they are entitled to in view of their vital role on the international scale, but more importantly as human beings.

One of the reasons that our struggle has not been successful is due, less to our own shortcomings, than to your perception of us, the UN workers. As a result, you have chosen to marginalize our concerns and failed to apply to us, your UN workers, the rights that you promulgate for everyone else. How is it possible that we have not been able to achieve the noble ideal we set out to do 58 years ago, when you set the principle of basic workers’ rights? Ask yourselves, is this progress, success, being up to date? We think it is high time for all of us to see the realities of the situation of the international civil servants and do something about bringing fairness and justice to all. Let us not be like the ostrich and hide our heads in the sand, thinking that we are not seen. Or hope that the time will cure all our injustices.

The ILO has a long and distinguished history of advocating and protecting workers’ rights, and can be applauded for the advances it brings in fair and equitable labour relations. The ILO Conventions provide the framework for social and economic justice throughout the world. Among the rights promulgated through these instruments are freedom of association and collective bargaining. Therefore, we would urge that, as a global advocate and protector of workers rights, the ILO Conference should request the ILO Secretariat to take the lead in documenting the status and progress made on this issue and report back to it every year. This would mean to include an item on fundamental labour rights for all international public servants on its agenda until this is achieved.

The issue of collective bargaining was introduced within the ILO only very recently - some eighty years after the organization’s creation. The "historical" recognition and procedural agreement, signed by Mr. Somavia and the ILO Staff Union, should serve as a shining beacon to guide labour relations for all employers whether they are national or international. But, this has not been the case. I am sad to report to you that no other international organization has followed in the footsteps of ILO. It seems that none have the courage of their convictions.

Did you know, for example, that, still today, in some international organizations, staff are denied the right to form a staff association? Or that others are denied the right to recourse to an administrative tribunal? Or that international civil servants do not have a right to security and safety in their workplaces? Furthermore, some of them are discriminated against, and are not granted their entitlements despite the standing orders and rules in their favour.

FICSA cannot stress enough the importance of rights for international civil servants. Colleagues have sacrificed their lives in service to the world community; they are regularly hijacked, detained, raped, imprisoned, terrorized and even murdered. In one highly risky duty station, staff are even expected to pay fares for the buses that were brought in by the administration to secure their safe transport to and from work. Staff are kept on unpredictable and precarious short-term contracts given to them on ad hoc basis, which is the most serious form of job insecurity, without social benefits, for many, many years. Salaries and benefits have decreased in real terms by about 35% over the past 15 years. Current levels are so uncompetitive that organizations complain that they are unable to recruit and retain staff. Labour relations leave so much to be desired that new young recruits leave service after only a few years.

Distinguished delegates,

Everyone in this room works for a living. Many of you are public servants, in service to your Governments. Some of you are members of a labour union and some of those unions bargain collectively with your Governments to ensure that your salaries, benefits, pensions and protections are adequate. The legislative safeguards that apply to your own working lives are undoubtedly based on the frameworks developed by the ILO. International civil servants ask for nothing more - and certainly nothing less than equity and equality.

FICSA makes an urgent plea to the International Labour Conference - to all of you present today, and to your Governments back home, to be a good employer and call for labour rights for international civil servants. FICSA urges the International Labour Organization to serve as a role model for all international civil services.

FICSA considers that the time has come to put an end to this undignified situation. The intergovernmental organizations should no longer be able to claim that they are not bound by the Conventions and the Recommendations of the ILO.

This Conference has the power - and the duty - to make sure that the universality of its Declaration does not stop at the gates of any intergovernmental organization.

This Conference has the power – and the duty – to adopt an instrument calling for respect of the principles and rules of international labour law with regard to all international public servants.

The time has come to inject the "spirit of ILO" into all intergovernmental organizations.

FICSA urges this Conference to exercise its power – and to respond to its duty – by deciding to include on its agenda the adoption of an instrument to guarantee fundamental labour rights for international public servants.

The Declaration of Philadelphia recognizes "that labour is not a commodity; that freedom of expression and association are essential to sustained progress; and that the effective recognition of the right of collective bargaining is fully applicable to all people everywhere". Give us, your employees, that right.

We have observed that progress has been slow in implementing the collective agreements negotiated between ILO and its Staff Union. The lessons learned so far reconfirm that there must be commitment at the strategic level to make human resources management the critical issue it is. Managers must be held responsible for the job satisfaction and productivity of those they supervise. In fact, the need to improve management has been identified as a key issue throughout the UN system.

On another issue, the ILO Administrative Tribunal must be strengthened so that it is worthy of its important mission. FICSA is a strong advocate and supporter of reforming the ILO Administrative Tribunal (ILOAT) to improve its operations. FICSA has been working together with the ILO Staff Union and the Staff Associations and Unions of organizations that recognize and subscribe to the ILOAT. FICSA seeks the support of this Conference in improving the way that the Tribunal carries out its mandate.

In closing, we urge you to take on the challenge brought before you. Before we talk about "world order", let us put our own house in order. Let us think globally, but act locally. Let those who are able to bring about positive changes show interest and come forward; and those who have come forward, bring about the changes that are long overdue.

Distinguished delegates,

We need your action now. We need: (1) equal treatment including gender equality; (2) freedom of association; and (3) collective bargaining rights. We in FICSA, representing over 30 000 United Nations Staff working in UN Special Agencies and Programmes, are at your service. FICSA desires to work optimally in getting the job done together with you.

Thank you.