News In Brief 9 2001

13 November 2001

FICSA News In Brief No. 9 2001

In October, FICSA...

...Organized two workshops on the general methodology for surveys of best-prevailing conditions of employment in non-headquarters duty stations

On behalf of FICSA, Mr. Osvaldo Bastida conducted a workshop in Kingston, Jamaica, from 1 to 5 October. The participants came from seven organizations and four countries.
On behalf of FICSA, Mr. Franco Di Pancrazio conducted a workshop in Accra, Ghana, from 8 to 12 October. The workshop was particularly geared towards the English-speaking countries in Africa. The participants came from seven organizations and 17 countries.
...Addressed the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC)
FICSA President Bernard P. Grandjean addressed ACC on 19 October. FICSA also provided a written submission, the main points were: the consultative process at the inter-agency level; the need for financial support for the Federation; the need to take remedial action in certain organizations and duty stations, particularly with regard to freedom of association and the fair treatment of staff; HIV/AIDS; safety and security of staff. (See FICSA Update No. 54.)
...Conducted an Advocacy Drive in New York
The FICSA President took the opportunity during his presence in New York for the autumn session of ACC of visiting the delegations of Member States and informing them about FICSA’s positions with regard, in particular, to: safety and security of staff; HIV/AIDS; freedom of association, negotiation and the role of staff representation; reform of administration of justice in the United Nations; human resources management; report of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC); review of the mandate, composition and functioning of ICSC; financing of UNRWA.
The FICSA team was comprised of the President, Ms. Anne Marie Pinou, Research and Liaison Officer, and Ms. Herta Drechsler, Vice-President of the IAEA Staff Association.
...Paid a visit to Executive Heads in New York
The FICSA President also used the opportunity to pay a visit to Mr. Reinhard Helmke, Executive Director of UNOPS, Ms. Imelda J. M. Henkin, Deputy Executive Director (Management) of UNFPA, and Ms. Karin Sham Poo, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF.
...Paid a visit to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Staff Council
On 16 October, the FICSA President met with Mr. Dimitri Samaras, President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Staff Association, and members of the Staff Council.
...Participated in the Second Conference of Staff Associations of International Organizations (CSAIO-2)
FICSA Vice-President Marielle Richon, General Secretary André J. Heitz and Information Officer Leslie Ewart participated in the CSAIO-2, organized by the Staff Association of the European Laboratory for Research on Particle Physics (CERN) on 25 and 26 October. (See FICSA Update No. 53).
The Vice-President presented a paper entitled "Working hours in the United Nations system: the case of France", and the General Secretary a paper entitled "A second degree of jurisdiction?"
...Participated in the Meeting of the Executive Board of Public Services International (PSI)
FICSA is a member of PSI, a federation of unions of public service workers, and has a seat on its Executive Board. The General Secretary participated in the 2001 meeting, in Seoul (Republic of Korea), from 29 to 31 October.
...Liaised with the FICSA members on the preparations for the forthcoming meeting of the Tripartite Working Group for the classification of duty stations according to conditions of life and work (12-14 December)
FICSA underlined, in particular, the need for staff at the duty stations concerned to ensure that proper information is submitted by the Resident Coordinator to the ICSC secretariat. That information must be put together in consultation with the staff.
...Wrote on the Pensions of Former Soviet Colleagues
On 24 October, the FICSA President wrote to Secretary-General Kofi Annan to support the suggestion, made by the Association of Former International Civil Servants (Moscow), that he appoint a Special Representative to conduct negotiations with the Government of the Russian Federation on the rights of our former colleagues who lost their pension entitlements through the Transfer Agreement concluded in 1980 between the Government of the former Soviet Union and the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund.
...Wrote on the administration of justice in the United Nations
The General Secretary wrote a letter to Mr. Riaz Hamidullah, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York providing a detailed comparative analysis of the UNAT- and ILOAT-based systems since the issue is on the agenda of the General Assembly.
...Provided advice to the UNESCO Staff Union
FICSA provided comments on the right of association and freedom of speech, based upon judgements Nos. 911 (de Padirac No. 2) and 496 (García and Márquez) to STU.
...Provided support to the staff of the United Nations Staff College (UNSC)
FICSA wrote again to Mr. Dilip Nair, Under-Secretary-General, Office of Internal Oversight Services, to remind him of the request by UNSC staff in Turin, Italy, for an investigation into the management of UNSC.
...Provided assistance to the WHO staff on the issue of contracts
The General Secretary provided comments to the Staff Association of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO) on a document prepared by management on contractual relations for the purposes of the meeting of the Global Staff Management Committee that was held on 9 and 10 October. Comments were also provided, through FICSA, by three eminent lawyers, Mr. Yves Beigbeder, Prof. David Ruzié and Mr. Klaus Samson.
Together with the FICSA Information Officer, he also participated in a meeting of the WHO Headquarters Staff Association on the same subject, on 5 October.
...And...
FICSA members were requested to provide information on maternity leave, or similar arrangements, for short-term staff.
FICSA provided information on how to create a staff association to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a member of the "Future Harvest" Group like FICSA’s associate members IPGRI and ISNAR.
FICSA provided information to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC) on grievance procedures.
FICSA provided information on staff association statutes to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in Geneva.
FICSA corresponded with the Union of General Service Staff (UGSS) of FAO and WFP on the question of legal insurance.
FICSA provided advice on the illegality of clauses by which an organization would seek to prohibit further employment in another organization for a certain period of time linked to the payment of a so-called "golden handshake". The advice was offered to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Staff Association in the context of the "reprofiling" of UNDP and a particular case reported from Argentina.
The FICSA secretariat also provided information on merit schemes to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Staff Association.
FICSA provided advice on the organization of the representation of the staff and on affiliation to FICSA to the General Service colleagues from the United Nations Logistical Base (UNLB), in Brindisi, Italy.
FICSA provided information on the procedure to be followed in litigation amounting to a class action by the UNRWA Area Staff Association in Lebanon.
FICSA provided information to the World Bank Staff Association on the level of the contributions paid by staff members to their association or union.
...And also...
Regrettably, FICSA received, on 2 October, a notice of intent to withdraw from the UNESCO Staff Union. If maintained, the withdrawal will become effective on 2 March 2002.
...And furthermore...
The CERN Staff Association donated 250 Swiss francs to FICSA to cover the travel costs of the FICSA Vice-President to attend the CSAIO-2. We wish to acknowledge the generosity of the CERN Staff Association.