| GB.267/8/2
267th Session Geneva, November 1996 |
EIGHTH ITEM ON THE AGENDA
Reports of the Programme, Financial and
Administrative Committee
Second report: Personnel questions
Contents
Statement by the staff representative
Amendments to the Staff Regulations
Report of the International Civil Service Commission
-- Report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board
-- Report of the Board of Trustees of the Special Payments Fund
Child-care facilities for delegates attending ILO meetings
Matters relating to the Administrative Tribunal of the ILO
Second report: Personnel questions
Statement by the staff representative
1. The Chairperson of the Staff Union Committee, recalling the financial crisis and its negative consequences for staff, stressed the need for genuine dialogue. For the Union, there could be no question of unilateral and predetermined results.
2. He wondered, however, if the same was true for the Director-General, who had in a recent address to the Staff Union Committee indicated the policies he intended to follow on a number of staff questions despite the fact that these were still under discussion in the appropriate committees. Staff might well wonder how much respect this showed for the statutory joint bodies.
3. The Staff Union Committee was eager to participate fully in these discussions so as to improve procedures and defend staff interests. It therefore continued to insist on a genuine joint approach rather than a façade. A personnel policy that actively involved the Staff Union would create a climate of confidence favourable to improved staff performance -- hence the need for a collective bargaining mechanism in the ILO.
4. The two sessions of the Union's Annual General Meeting had made this a top priority. Now that a working party had been set up in the Administrative Committee to this effect, the Union Committee wished to place on record its appreciation for the continued support of the Workers' group, and had been mandated to seek further such support from the Governing Body and its members. The Staff Union sought modern solutions to industrial relations problems through positive negotiations, just as the Office proposed for the ILO's constituents.
5. On the financial situation, the Chairperson expressed the staff's concern at certain member States' arrears of contributions. The Staff Union had passed a resolution demanding that the Governing Body take steps to ensure that all member States honour their financial obligations.
6. As regards the Programme and Budget proposals for 1998-99, the Staff Union was concerned about the reforms envisaged. Staff, especially in the field, were worried about the insecurity of contracts, and the Staff Union for its part insisted on respect for the rules. The Administration should pay close attention to working conditions in external offices, and here the Union requested that a mission be sent to Algiers to show solidarity with staff abandoned by the Office for over a year. The Union also demanded discussions in the joint bodies on the measures envisaged.
7. The Chairperson denounced the ICSC's report to the UN General Assembly as unworthy of the international civil service. If the recommendations therein were adopted, the ILO would need to alter its Staff Regulations, thus presenting the Union with a fait accompli. The Union deplored the Administration's failure to consult it in advance, and insisted such discussions must now take place.
8. On the proposals for crèche facilities to be offered only to delegates to ILO meetings, the Chairperson of the Staff Union recalled that the Governing Body had in November 1995 withdrawn the allocation of $146,550 for the current biennium. The Union had always demanded such facilities for staff, yet the recommendations of a working party to this effect had been set aside, and now staff were to be excluded altogether. The Union deplored this situation, and called on the Governing Body to restore the allocation previously provided.
9. In conclusion, he reaffirmed the Union's readiness to respond positively to change. This was common to unions everywhere, despite allegations to the contrary at the recent ILO Enterprise Forum. The Union demanded that all such activities fully involve workers' organizations, take account of the Organization's vocation and respect the rules and balances accepted by its constituents. This was the price of the ILO's raison d'être and its credibility.
Amendments to the Staff Regulations
(Tenth item on the agenda)
Amendments approved by the Director-General
10. The Committee took note of a paper(2) reporting on the amendments approved by the Director-General during the preceding 12 months under the authority delegated to him. The amendments concerned articles 3.1 (Salary scales), 3.13 (Family allowances in the General Service category) and 14.4 (Service under successive contracts) and Annex 1 (Recruitment procedure). All the amendments had previously been announced in ILO Series 6 (Personnel) circulars.
Report of the International Civil Service Commission
(Twelfth item on the agenda)
11. The Committee had before it a paper(3) informing the Governing Body of the recommendations of the ICSC to the General Assembly of the United Nations on a proposed common staff assessment scale for determination of pensionable remuneration of both the Professional and higher categories and the General Service and related categories, on the level and structure of the salary scales of Professional and higher category staff, on questions concerning the post adjustment system, on the mobility and hardship scheme, on family allowances for staff in the Professional and higher categories and on the education grant.
12. Mr. Marshall, Employers' spokesperson, pointed out that the recommendation was part of common system policy, and considered therefore that the Governing Body had no real choice in the matter. Noting that the critical part of the point for decision was the third element, paragraph 20(c) authorizing the Director-General to give effect to the measures if and when approved by the General Assembly, he queried whether the Committee should "endorse" the recommendations of the ICSC, as proposed in the first part of the decision paragraph. He proposed instead that the Committee merely "note" them.
13. Mr. Gray, Workers' spokesperson, asked whether the measures aimed at correcting an imbalance between pensions of Professional and General Service staff might lead to certain pensions being actually reduced, in which case the Workers' group would recommend protecting the rights of those currently in service and applying the new scales to those employed after the implementation date.
14. The representative of the Government of the United States said that her Government also had reservations about "endorsing" recommendations of the ICSC which it would in fact be opposing in the General Assembly and therefore proposed to replace the term "endorse" in the first part of the decision paragraph by either "authorize" or "note".
15. The representative of the Government of the United Kingdom, commenting on the remarks of Mr. Gray, said that his Government considered it important that any transitional arrangements with respect to pensions should be compatible with those adopted by the common system.
16. A representative of the Director-General (the Director of the Personnel Department) said that in strictly legal terms the Governing Body did have the power to approve or not approve the recommendations of the ICSC referred to in the first part of the point for decision -- as opposed to those referred to in the second part, relating to pensionable remuneration, which the Committee was invited merely to note.
17. The representative of the Government of France commented that the matter had always been handled thus. The ICSC had met and the General Assembly was currently in session. The object of the recommendation before the Committee was to enable the Office to implement the decisions of the General Assembly without the need for retroactivity. Whichever term the Committee settled for, these were the simple facts of the situation.
18. The Chairman confirmed the previous speaker's presentation of the situation -- and wondered whether in English the term "approve" might help.
19. Mr. Marshall liked "approve" even less than "endorse", and as "authorize" was the term used in part (c) of the decision paragraph he suggested that the neutral "note" would serve best.
20. Mr. Gray considered "approve" an improvement on "endorse", and stated that the Workers were in agreement with all of the points in the paragraph for decision. He added that the financial implications were in the region of US$2.7 million rather than US$1.1 million.
21. As a compromise, the representative of the Government of the United Kingdom proposed the term "accept", and this was agreed.
22. The representative of the Director-General, replying to Mr. Gray's question concerning pensions, said that it seemed probable that there would be a reduction in the pensionable remuneration for some of the higher General Service levels and an increase for some Professional grades. Transitional arrangements, which had not yet been fixed, were expected to involve a freeze of existing pensionable remuneration levels rather than operating two scales, and there should not be a reduction in pensions.
23. The Committee recommends that the Governing Body --
- accept the recommendations of the ICSC, subject to their approval by the General Assembly of the United Nations, on the following entitlements:
- an increase in the net base/floor salary scale and a revision of the staff assessment rates with effect from 1 March 1997, for staff in the Professional and higher categories;
- an increase of 7.98 per cent in the present levels of the children's allowance and the secondary dependant's allowance for staff in the Professional and higher categories with effect from 1 January 1997;
- increases in the education grant and the special education grant for disabled children for the school year in progress on 1 January 1997;
- introduction of a time-limit on the non-removal element of the mobility, hardship and non-removal allowance;
- note the ICSC's recommendations on the following:
- revision of the staff assessment scale for determination of pensionable remuneration of both the Professional and higher categories and the General Service and related categories;
- modification of the post adjustment system effective 1 March 1997;
- authorize the Director-General to give effect in the ILO, through appropriate amendments to the Staff Regulations, to the measures recommended by the ICSC referred to in subparagraph (a) above, subject to their approval by the General Assembly.
Pensions questions
(Thirteenth item on the agenda)
Report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board
24. The Committee took note of a paper(4) summarizing the report of the forty-seventh session of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board, which was held at the International Training Centre of the ILO, Turin. The main issues examined by the Board included the comprehensive review of pensionable remuneration and the development of a common salary scale in consultation with the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the actuarial evaluation of the Fund as at 31 December 1995, the investments of the Fund, and the transfer agreements between the Fund and the former USSR, Ukrainian SSR and Byelorussian SSR.
25. The Workers' spokesperson noted that the withdrawal of the World Trade Organization might have implications for the future of the Fund.
26. In response to a question raised by the representative of the Government of Argentina, the representative of the Government of France, who was the current Chairperson of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board, clarified that paragraph 9 of the report referred to conditions of inflation which had occurred in the past.
Report of the Board of Trustees of the Special Payments Fund
27. The Committee took note of a paper(5) transmitting the forty-third report of the Board of Trustees of the Special Payments Fund.
Child-care facilities for delegates attending ILO meetings
(Fourteenth item on the agenda)
28. Following the decisions by the Governing Body, at its 264th Session (November 1995) and again at its 265th Session (March 1996), that this question needed to be discussed further, the Committee had before it a paper(6) outlining proposals and cost estimates for child-care facilities for delegates attending major ILO meetings.
29. Mr. Gray, Workers' spokesperson, asked the secretariat for assurance that the estimated cost covered all ILO meetings and not just the Conference and Governing Body meetings. He felt that a solution to this issue was long overdue and remembered raising this matter at the first sectoral committee he had attended some five or six years previously. He regretted that this proposal had been deleted from the Programme and Budget for 1996-97, and he asked that the Committee not lose sight of the fact that the initial allocation and proposal had included provision for child-care facilities for both staff and delegates.
30. Mr. Marshall, Employers' spokesperson, recalled that this issue had been discussed extensively during the Governing Body session in March 1996, and he had understood that the matter would not proceed further. His delegation remained unconvinced in respect of the proposed allocation for child-care facilities for participants in meetings. The Office could assist the delegates concerned, but in a private manner, and there was no need for a formal structure.
31. The representative of the Government of the United States stated that her delegation could not support the proposal to fund child-care facilities for delegates. These expenses were not and should not be the responsibility of the Organization. She agreed with the Employers' group that existing resources could be used by the secretariat to provide information to delegates about child-care facilities in Geneva. The cost of providing such information would be considerably less than the cost estimated in the paper. If this proved unsatisfactory, then the constituents who supported this proposal could set up a trust fund to pay for child-care facilities for delegates.
32. The representative of the Government of Sweden recalled that the issue had been discussed in 1985 during the Conference Committee on Equal Opportunity which she had attended; at the time, she and several other delegates had strongly opposed a similar scheme for child-care facilities put forward then. The welfare of children was a main concern of the ILO, and she appreciated the good intentions behind this proposal, but felt that children were being viewed as objects to be checked or parked. The number of places needed under the scheme was not large and the costs were not high. However, she wondered how such a scheme would work for children who did not speak French.
33. The representative of the Government of Canada recalled that she had spoken on this issue in March 1996. She noted the impact that this proposal would have for women, and presumed that men who needed child-care facilities would also be accommodated. She was in favour of removing any barriers which prevented women from contributing to and participating in ILO activities and for this reason supported the Workers' position.
34. The representative of the Government of France supported the view expressed by the Government of the United States.
35. Mr. Gray, Workers' spokesperson, said that he appreciated the support received from the representative of the Government of Canada, but was distressed and appalled at the reaction of the representative of his own Government and the Employer members and those who spoke against the proposal. He considered it incredible that very capable people, who had no recourse but to bring young children with them to meetings, could be frozen out of participation in ILO activities.
36. The Chairperson, noting the position of several governments and of the Employer members, considered that the proposal presented by the Office was not retained. However, other reasonable solutions to the issue could be pursued if problems arose, and if necessary the matter could be raised again in the Governing Body.
Matters relating to the Administrative Tribunal of the ILO
(Fifteenth item on the agenda)
37. The Committee had before it a paper(7) proposing approval of the recognition of the jurisdiction of the Administrative Tribunal of the ILO by ISNAR (the International Service for National Agricultural Research).
38. Mr. Marshall, Employers' spokesperson, said that the Employers supported the recommendation, but made a suggestion concerning the financing of the Tribunal service: the current budget provided some US$340,000 for the service, and he wondered whether the cost to the ILO might be incorporated in the service price charged to the other organizations.
39. The representative of the Director-General (the Treasurer and Financial Comptroller) explained that the ILO's regular budget assumed the cost of the registrar and part of the cost of the full-time assistant to the registrar. The remaining costs of the assistant registrar and the costs of translation, maintenance of a computer database and clerical assistance, as well as the judges' fees and travel expenses, were already shared with the other organizations. He would consult with the Legal Adviser on the possibility of sharing out the remaining costs still borne directly by the ILO regular budget.
40. The Committee recommends that the Governing Body approve the recognition of the Tribunal's jurisdiction by ISNAR, with effect from 1 January 1997.
Geneva, 15 November 1996.
(Signed)
Charles Gray,
Reporter.
Points for decision:
Paragraph 23;
Paragraph 40.