United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board

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1 ex United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and fifty-sixth Session 156 EX/30 PARIS, 17 March 1999 Original: English Item 8.3 of the provisional agenda TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT (1998) OF THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND RELATED GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION: REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL SUMMARY In pursuance of 114 EX/Decision 8.5 and 22 C/Resolution 37, the Director-General submits herewith the above report to the Board for information. Decision required: paragraph 16.

2 156 EX/30 INTRODUCTION 1. Article 17 of the Statute of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) provides that, The Commission shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly including information on the implementation of its decisions and recommendations. The report shall be transmitted to the governing organs of the other organizations, through their executive heads and to staff representatives. 2. In this connection, at its 114th session (May 1982), the Executive Board approved a proposal by the Director-General to submit future annual reports of the Commission to the Executive Board at its spring session in the year immediately following the year to which the report relates (114 EX/Decision 8.5). 3. The General Conference, at its 22nd session (October-November 1983), took note of 114 EX/Decision 8.5 of the Executive Board; invited the Director-General to continue to submit annual reports of ICSC to the Executive Board in accordance with the terms of the above-mentioned decision ; and decided that future annual reports of ICSC will not normally be submitted to the General Conference, except when, in the opinion of the Director-General or of the Executive Board, they contain conclusions or recommendations calling for action which is within the sole competence of the General Conference, or which, in the opinion of the Director-General or of the Executive Board, are otherwise of such importance that they should be brought to the notice of the General Conference (22 C/Resolution 37). 4. In pursuance of the above decisions, the twenty-fourth annual report of ICSC covering the year 1998 (hereinafter referred to as the annual report ) is hereby submitted to the Board for information. 5. The annual report of ICSC for 1998 and the Commission s accompanying recommendations were examined by the United Nations General Assembly at its 53rd session (September-December 1998). Upon completion of its review, the General Assembly approved, by resolution 53/209 (hereinafter referred to as resolution 53/209 ) which is reproduced in Appendix I to the present document, a number of measures concerning the conditions of service of staff in the United Nations common system, of which UNESCO is a part. Some of the salient points contained either in the annual report of ICSC or in the General Assembly resolution relating thereto are mentioned below. (a) Membership of the Commission 6. The current membership of ICSC is shown in Appendix II. (b) Role of the Commission 7. In resolution 53/209, the General Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to a single, unified United Nations common system as the cornerstone for the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the United Nations common system. It further reaffirmed the central role of the Commission in the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the United Nations common system.

3 156 EX/30 - page 2 (c ) Functioning of the Commission and of its secretariat 8. Article 28, paragraph 2, of the Statute of ICSC and Rule 37 of its rules of procedure provide staff representatives with the right to present facts and views on any matter within the competence of the Commission and to attend meetings of the Commission and address it on matters on its agenda. At its 149th session, the Executive Board was informed that neither the Federation of International Civil Servants Associations (FICSA) nor the Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA) of the United Nations system was participating in the Commission s work. The UNESCO Staff Union (STU) and the International Staff Association of UNESCO (ISAU) are affiliated, respectively, to FICSA and CCISUA. In its resolutions 50/208 (1995), 51/216 (1996) and 52/216 (1997), the General Assembly had called on FICSA and CCISUA to resume participation in the work of the Commission in a spirit of cooperation and non-confrontation. Based on the recommendations of a Working Group composed of members of ICSC and representatives of the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions (CCAQ), FICSA and CCISUA, the Commission adopted in 1998 a number of changes to its rules of procedure (see annual report, paras ). In Section III of its resolution 53/209, the General Assembly emphasized that responsibility for the decisions taken by the Commission rested solely with the members of the Commission; welcomed the progress made by the Commission in promoting a spirit of constructive cooperation and flexibility towards improving working relations with the staff bodies ; and took note that the changes approved by the Commission to its rules of procedure could enable all parties to ensure that their views are reflected during all phases of the consideration of all issues. At the time of writing, FICSA and CCISUA had not reached a decision on the eventual resumption of their participation in the Commission s work. 9. At the request of the General Assembly, the United Nations Board of Auditors conducted a management review of all aspects of the work carried out by the secretariat of ICSC. The report of the Board of Auditors on the above audit was considered by ICSC in While regretting that the report entered into areas that lay beyond the audit team s mandate, calling into question decisions of both ICSC and the General Assembly, the Commission responded positively to most of the recommendations submitted (see annual report, paras ). (d) Base/floor salary scale for the Professional category and above 10. After considering the recommendations of ICSC (see annual report, para. 95), the General Assembly approved a revised gross and net base/floor salary scale for staff in the Professional category and above (see Section I, Part C of resolution 53/209), on a no-gain, noloss basis. The purpose of this measure is to bring net base salaries for staff in the Professional category and above in the United Nations common system in line with current pay levels in the comparator civil service (the federal civil service of the United States). The revised scale, which became effective as from 1 March 1999, will be applied to UNESCO staff members in accordance with the Director-General s decision, in pursuance of the authorization given him by General Conference 29 C/Resolution 76 (1997). The 2.48 per cent increase in net base salaries will be offset by a corresponding reduction in the applicable post adjustment; consequently, the net remuneration (net base salary plus post adjustment) of the staff members concerned for March 1999 will remain at approximately the same level as for February The mobility and hardship allowance, as well as the repatriation grant and termination indemnity will increase by the same percentage as the net base/floor salary scale.

4 155 EX/30 - page 3 (e) Staff assessment 11. In the light of the above-mentioned change in the base/floor salary scale, the General Assembly also approved, with effect from 1 March 1999, consequential modifications to the staff assessment rates used to calculate gross base salaries for staff members of the Professional category and above without a dependent spouse or child. In pursuance of General Conference 29 C/Resolution 76 and with effect from the same date of 1 March 1999, the revised rates of staff assessment will be applied to UNESCO staff in the Professional category and above. (f) Dependency allowances 12. After considering the recommendations of ICSC (see annual report, para.124), the General Assembly also approved, in respect of staff in the Professional category and above and with effect from 1 January 1999, an increase in the children s allowance from US $1,510 to US $1,730 per child per annum and in the secondary dependant s allowance from US $540 to US $619 per annum; at duty stations in designated hard-currency countries, including France, the General Assembly established these allowances in equivalent amounts in local currency. The previous rates of these two allowances had been set by the General Assembly effective 1 January In accordance with the relevant enabling resolution of the General Conference, the Director-General decided to apply these measures to the UNESCO staff concerned as from the date set by the General Assembly. (g) Education grant 13. The United Nations General Assembly further approved the recommendation of ICSC (see para. 190 of the annual report) that the level of the maximum education grant fixed in seven currencies be increased with effect from the academic year in progress on 1 January These currencies and the respective percentage increases are: Austrian schilling (10 per cent), Deutschemark (6 per cent), Italian lire (5 per cent), Japanese yen (9 per cent), pound sterling (10 per cent), Swiss francs (6 per cent) and United States dollars for educational expenses incurred in the United States (11 per cent). The General Assembly also approved the recommendation of ICSC that the lump sum for boarding costs, payable within the maximum education grant where the child studies away from the duty station and boarding is not provided by the educational institution, be increased in 17 currency areas, including France. The amount of the lump sum for boarding costs established for France and five other currency areas had not been adjusted since The decisions of the General Assembly regarding education grant entitlements are also being applied by the Director-General to eligible UNESCO staff members. (h) Review of the post adjustment system 14. In Section I, Part G 2, of resolution 53/209, the General Assembly requested ICSC, in the context of its preparation of the next round of place-to-place cost-of-living surveys, to conduct a comprehensive review of the post adjustment system as a whole with a view to its reform, with the assistance of independent experts, if necessary, keeping in mind the need for cohesion within the common system, and to ensure that the post adjustment at each duty station, with particular emphasis upon headquarters duty stations, is fully representative of the

5 156 EX/30 - page 4 cost of living of staff members in the Professional and higher categories working at each duty station.... (i) Financial implication 15. The financial implication for the Organization for 1999 in respect of the measures reported in subparagraphs (d), (f) and (g) will be approximately US $398,700. Details of the additional requirement are reported to the Board in document 156 EX/28. CONCLUSION 16. Upon completing consideration of this item of its agenda, the Executive Board may wish to adopt a decision on the following lines: TheExecutiveBoard, 1. Having examined document 156 EX/30, 2. Takes note of: (a) (b) (c) the contents of that document; the twenty-fourth annual report (1998) of the International Civil Service Commission; resolution 53/209 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly; 3. Invites the Director-General to continue to ensure the participation of UNESCO in the work of the Commission and to take due account of the results of its work.

6 156 EX/30 Appendix I APPENDIX I RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY [on the report of the Fifth Committee (A/53/754)] 53/209. United Nations common system: report of the International Civil Service Commission The General Assembly, Having considered the report of the International Civil Service Commission for the year 1998 and other related reports, Reaffirming its commitment to a single, unified United Nations common system as the cornerstone for the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the United Nations common system, Convinced that the common system constitutes the best instrument to secure staff of the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for the international civil service, as stipulated under the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming the central role of the Commission in the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the United Nations common system, Ojjicial Records of the General Assembly. Fifty-third Session, Supplement No. 30 and corrigendum (A/53/30 and Cot-r. 1). A/52/81 1, AJC.5/53/4 and AlCS/53/2J I I...

7 A/RES/53/209 Page 2 I CONDITIONS OF SERVICE OF STAFF IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND HIGHER CATEGORIES A. Noblemaire principle and its application Recalling its resolution 44/198 of 21 December 1989 and other relevant resolutions, 1. Reconfirms the continued application of the Noblemaire principle; 2. Reajirms the need to continue to ensure the competitiveness of the conditions of service of the common system; 3. Notes the decision of the Commission to suspend total compensation comparisons until 2001, and requests the Commission to undertake the next study in to identify the highest paid national civil service, using the methodology endorsed by the General Assembly in a manner consistent with the United States/United Nations total compensation comparison; B. Evolution of the margin Recalling section 1.B of its resolution 52/216 of 22 December 1997 and the standing mandate from the General Assembly, in which the Commission is requested to continue its review of the relationship between the net remuneration of the United Nations staff in the Professional and higher categories in New York and that of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service) employees in comparable positions in Washington, D.C. (referred to as the margin ), Recalling also section IX, paragraph 3, of its resolution 46/191 A of 20 December 199 1, in which it requested the Commission to include in its work a review of the differences between the United Nations and the United States net remuneration at individual grade levels, Recalling further section II.B, paragraph 3, of its resolution 48/224 of 23 December 1993, wherein it considered that the Commission should address the imbalance in the United Nations/United States remuneration ratios in the context of overall margin considerations, 1. Notes the intention of the Commission, in the light of its previous recommendations with respect to the above request, to explore possible solutions to the problems of imbalances in the United Nations/United States net remuneration ratios at individual grade levels; 2. Also notes that the margin between net remuneration of United Nations staff in grades P-l to D-2 in New York and that of officials in comparable positions in the United States federal civil service for 1998 is 114.8; C. Base/floor salary scale

8 AlRES/S3/209 Page 3 Recalling section LH of its resolution 44/198, by which it established a floor net salary level for staff in the Professional and higher categories by reference to the corresponding base net salary levels of officials in comparable positions serving at the base city of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service), Approves, with effect from 1 March 1999, the revised base scale of gross and net salaries for staff in the Professional and higher categories, contained in annex I to the present resolution, and the consequential amendment to the Staff Regulations of the United Nations, as reflected in annex II to the present resolution; D. Treatment of expatriation Recalling section I.B, paragraph 3, of its resolution of 23 December 1995 and section I.E, paragraph 4, of its resolution 5 l/2 16 of 18 December 1996, 1. Takes note of the analysis and decisions of the Commission thereon, as contained in paragraphs 104 to 117 of its report; 2. Requests the Commission to continue to develop its study in this area and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session; E. Common*scale of staff assessment Recalling section III, paragraph 1, of its resolution 5 l/2 16, by which it approved, with effect from 1 January 1997, a revised staff assessment scale recommended by the Commission for determining the pensionable remuneration of all categories of staff, and recalling that, in paragraph 2 of the same section, it requested the Commission to report on the impact of the differences in national and local tax rates at the seven headquarters duty stations on the gross pension benefits of locally recruited staff in the General Service and related categories at those duty stations in comparison with the compensation for such taxes provided by the common staff assessment rates Takes note of the conclusion of the Commission, as set out in paragraph 215 of its report, that the current common staff assessment scale should continue to apply and should again be reviewed in 2000; 2. Takes note also of the conclusions of the Commission based on the comparison of the impact of the common staff assessment rates and local taxes on the levels of pensionable remuneration and consequent pensions of the General Service and related categories of staff, as reported in paragraph 224 of its report; 3. Endorses the view of the Commission, as set out in paragraph 225 of its report, that the local practice approach to dete rmining pensionable remuneration of the General Service and other locally recruited categories of staff should not be pursued further; F. Dependency allowances Recalling section IIF of its resolution 47/2 16 of 23 December 1992, in which it noted that the Commission would review the level of dependency allowances every two years,

9 A/RESlS Page 4 Taking note that the review of dependency allowances by the Commission reflected relevant changes in tax abatement and social legislation at the seven headquarters duty stations since 1996, as contained in paragraph 119 of its report, 1. Approves, with effect from 1 January 1999, an increase of 14.6 per cent in the children s allowance (including the allowance for disabled children) and in the secondary dependant s allowance; 2. Takes note of the updated list of hard-currency duty stations for which the allowances are specified in local currency, as contained in annex III to the present resolution; 3. Notes that dependency allowances payable to eligible common system staff should be reduced by the amount of any direct payments received from a Government in respect of dependants; 4. Requests the Commission to undertake in 2000 an examination of the methodology, rationale and scope of the allowances; G. Post adjustment matters Operation of the post adjustment system Recalling section 1.B of its resolution and section 1.E of its resolution 5 l/2 16, 1. Takes note of the conclusions of the Commission regarding the operation of the post adjustment system at the base of the system, as contained in paragraph 140 of its report; 2. Requests the Commission to continue to explore the feasibility of using outside data sources for the next round of place-to-place surveys; Post adjustment at Geneva Recalling section LB of its resolution 50/208, section I.E of its resolution 5 l/216 and section 1.D of its resolution 52/216 related to the establishment of a single post adjustment index in respect of staff members whose duty station is Geneva, Requests the Commission, in the context of its preparation of the next round of place-to-place surveys, as referred to in paragraph 14 1 of its report, to conduct a comprehensive review of the post adjustment system as a whole with a view to its reform, with the assistance of independent experts, if necessary, keeping in mind the need for cohesion within the common system, and to ensure that the post adjustment at each duty station, with particular emphasis on headquarters duty stations, is fully representative of the cost of living of all staff members in the Professional and higher categories working at each duty station, and to report thereon to the General Assembly no later than at its fifty-fifth session; I,.

10 A/RES/53/209 Page 5 II CONDITIONS OF SERVICE APPLICABLE TO BOTH CATEGORIES OF STAFF A. Education grant Recalling section IV, paragraph 1, of its resolution 47/2 16 and section IV of its resolution 5 l/2 16, by which it endorsed the revised methodology for the determination of the education grant, Recalling also section III.A, paragraph 1, of its resolution 52/2 16, by which it endorsed the modifications to the methodology and noted that the revised methodology would be taken into account beginning with the 1998 biennial review of the education grant, 1. Approves increases in the maximum reimbursement levels in the seven currency areas, as well as other adjustments to the reimbursement of expenses under the education grant, as contained in paragraph 190 of the report of the Commission; 2. Takes note of the decision of the Commission to review the methodology in 200 1; B. Recognition of language knowledge Recalling section ILE of its resolution 48/224 of 23 December 1993, in which it requested the Commission to review the language incentive scheme of the United Nations and the schemes of the organizations of the common system, Having considered the proposals of the Commission contained in paragraphs 207 to 209 of its report, which would be implemented only after the General Assembly has agreed thereto, 1. Notes that a number of essential elements still remain to be resolved, including the rationale for recommending a change to the existing scheme, the degree to which such a change will continue to serve as an incentive for multilingualism in the organizations, the basis for determining the incentive amounts for both categories, and transitional measures; 2. Requests the Commission to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session a comprehensive report covering all the elements raised, taking into account the acquired rights of the staff, C. Hazard pay Reiterating the expression of its appreciation for the dedication of increasing numbers of staff of the United Nations common system who are required to work under dangerous conditions, Takes note of the decisions of the Commission contained in paragraph 236 of its report: I...

11 AlRIZS/53/209 Page 6 Recalling section IILD of its resolution 52/2 16, D. Standards of travel and per diem Takes note of the decisions of the Commission regarding standards of travel and per diem, as outlined in paragraph 247 of its report; Recalling section IKE of its resolution , E. Mission subsistence allowance Takes note of the decisions of the Commission regarding various aspects of the system of mission subsistence allowance, as outlined in paragraph 260 of its report; III THE CONSULTATIVE PROCESS AND WORKING ARRANGEMENTS IN THE COMMISSION Recalling its resolutions 50/208,5 l/216 and 52/216 concerning, inter alia, the consultative process and working arrangements of the Commission, Recalling also that by its resolution the General Assembly reaffirmed the statute of the Commission, in particular article 6 thereof, whereby its members shall perform their functions in full independence and with impartiality, 1. Emphasizes that the responsibility for the decisions taken by the Commission rests solely with the members of the Commission; 2. Welcomes the progress made by the Commission in promoting a spirit of constructive cooperation and flexibility towards improving working relations with the staff bodies; 3. Takes note of the changes approved by the Commission to its rules of procedure and other procedural changes; 4. Notes that the changes approved by the Commission to its rules of procedure could enable all parties to ensure that their views are reflected during all phases of the consideration of all issues; 5. Requests the Commission to monitor the progress of the implementation of the revised rules of procedure and to report thereon to the General Assembly atits fifty-seventh session;

12 AJRES/53/209 Page 7 IV APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION AND OTHER MATTERS 1. Reaffirms the statute of the Commission; 2. Emphasizes the need to adhere to the provisions of articles 3 and 4 of the statute of the Commission; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to draw the attention of Member States to the provisions of article 3, paragraph 1, of the statute of the Commission when presenting candidates for appointment to the Commission; 4. Decides to revert to issues related to the Commission, including its working methods, the respective roles of the Commission and its secretariat, the selection and appointment of members and the role of the Commission in the review process, in the context of the consideration of the recommendations by the Secretaty- General for a review of the Commission at the resumed fifty-third session of the General Assembly; V FRAMEWORK FOR HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Recalling its resolutions 5 l/2 16 and , Convinced that the Commission must play a lead role in the development of innovative approaches in the field of human resources management as part of the overall reform currently taking place in the organizations of the common system, 1. Welcomes the initiative of the Commission to examine a framework for human resources management; 2. Invites the Commission, as part of the planned review, to examine, inter afia, the reform initiatives by all organizations of the common system, as well as reform efforts outside the common system, the facilitation of inter-agency mobility and the introduction of specialist pay; 3. Urges the Commission to address speedily the request of the General Assembly regarding studies in the area of human resources management and to submit a report thereon to the Assembly at its fifty-fourth session;

13 AAU%W3/209 Page 8 VI REPORT ON GENDER BALANCE IN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM Recalling section VI of its resolution and section 1II.H of its resolution 52/2 16, in which it urged the organizations of the common system to introduce a coherent plan for improving the status of women in each organization, 1. Notes the continuing work of the Commission to assist the organizations in achieving gender balance, and in particular welcomes its initiative in the areas identified under paragraph 290 of its report; 2. Endorses the requests of the Commission to the organizations, as outlined in paragraphs 283 and 29 1 of its report, and urges all organizations to take steps to implement them as soon as possible; 3. Notes that the Commission will revert to this matter in 2001; VII REPORT OF THE BOARD OF AUDITORS Recalling its request to the Board of Auditors to conduct a management review of all aspects of the work done by the secretariat of the Commission in time for the submission of a report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session, 1. Takes note of the report of the Board of Auditors on the management review of the secretariat of the Commission and the response of the Commission contained in paragraph 37 of its report; 2. Requests the Board of Auditors to conduct audits of the secretariat of the Commission on a periodic basis, in accordance with financial regulation 12.5 of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the statute of the Commission. 93rd plenary meeting 18 December I998 See Al I...

14 AJRESl53/209 Page 9 ANNEX I Salary scale for the Professional and higher categories showing ammal gross salaries and net equivalents after application of staff assessment (Unired Stares dolfors) (Effecrive I March 1999) Y4 IYO II5 311 II7 797 I I??? YOI SW II YO YY848 I IO4047 IO6 I I I2 476 II OVfI II I P-5 ckxs Y? 77s V IO IO I Net D I87 6V4OI IO8 Nrr S KIO ' I Y III 56 IV P-3 Cross h I74 72 X VY4 7Y7ll MI I48 NH D v III 50??I II Net s X OVQY I 53 Y x I Y10 42 Y !L) I I II VC YY6 4n YV? W I s 41 XYI X IO??O Y81 1 I Xh? D = Rate applicable to staff members with a dependent spouse or child. S = Rate applicable to staff members with no dependent spouse or child. This scale will be implemented in coplnction with a consolidation of 2.48 percent of post ajhstment. There will be consequenttal a&tments in the post adjustment indices and multipliers at all dup stations, effective I March 1999 Thereafter, chages III post adjustment classifications will be effected on the basis of the movements of the consolidated post a$stment indices.

15 AlRES/53/209 Page 10 Annex II Amendments to the Staff Regulations of the United Nations Regulation 3.3 Replace the second table in paragraph (b)(i) with the following: Total assessable payments (United States dollars) Staff assessment rates used in conjunction with gross base salaries (pe,rcentage) Staff member with a dependent spouse or a dependent child Staff member with neither a dependent spouse nor a dependent child First per year 9.0 II.8 Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Next per year Remaining assessable payments ANNEX III Amounts of children s and secondary dependant s allowances for staff in the Professional and higher categories (effecrive I January 1999) Country or area Currency Children s allowance Secondary dependant s allowance Austria Austrian schilling Belgium Belgian franc x Denmark Danish krone France French franc French Guiana Germany Ireland French franc Deutsche mark Irish pound IO I I

16 AlRES/53/20!~ Page I 1 Country or area Currency Japan Yen Luxembourg Luxembourg franc Monaco French franc Netherlands Netherlands guilder Switzerland Swiss franc United States and the rest of the world United States dollar Children s allowance I89 IO I I 730 Secondary dependan t :s allowance I 523 I

17 156 EX/30 Appendix II APPENDIX II Members of the International Civil Service Commission Mr Mohsen Bel Hadj Amor (Chairman) (Tunisia) Mr Carlos S. Vegega (Vice-Chairman) (Argentina) Mr Mario Bettati (France) Mr Alexei Fedotov (Russian Federation) Ms Turkia Daddah (Mauritania) Ms Corazon G. de Leon (Philippines) Mr Humayun Kabir (Bangladesh) Mr João Augusto de Médicis (Brazil) Mr Esnest Rusita (Uganda) Mr Alexis Stephanou (Greece) Mr Wolfgang Stöckl (Germany) Mr Ku Tashiro (Japan) Mr Eugeniusz Wyzner (Poland) Mr Elhassane Zahid (Morocco) Ms Lucretia Myers (United States)

18 ex United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and fifty-sixth Session 156 EX/30 Add. PARIS, 27 May 1999 Original: English Item 8.3 of the agenda TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT (1998) OF THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND RELATED GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION: REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ADDENDUM COMMENTS BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE UNESCO STAFF UNION (STU) 1. The UNESCO Staff Union (STU) submitted to the Director-General comments on document 156 EX/30, which is to be considered by the Executive Board at its current session. These comments are reproduced in full in the annex to the present addendum. 2. While STU s comments essentially concern the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and its secretariat, the remarks made in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the STU text regarding the Administration s handling of preparations for the current Paris General Service salary survey call for a response. To assist the Board in its consideration, information will also be provided regarding some of the points made in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of the STU comments. 3. In paragraphs 2 and 3 of its observations, STU alleges that the Administration did not complete all the work required for the various stages of the salary survey on time. This is incorrect. The Administration has strictly abided by the timetable established for the exercise during the pre-survey consultations held in Paris in October 1998 between the representative of the ICSC secretariat and the Local Salary Survey Committee (LSSC), composed of representatives of the Administration, STU and the International Staff Association of UNESCO (ISAU), and in follow-up contacts with the secretariat of ICSC. In particular, statistics on the results of the classification exercise for some 93 per cent of posts in the General Service and related categories, by occupational group and grade, were provided by the beginning of February 1999 to enable LSSC to select the proposed survey jobs and draft the

19 156 EX/30 Add. - page 2 corresponding proposed survey job descriptions. LSSC s recommendations on the employers and jobs to be surveyed and the related survey job descriptions and questionnaire were submitted to the Chairman of ICSC, through the Director of the Bureau of Personnel, by the agreed deadline of 12 March The data collection for the survey began as scheduled on 30 April 1999, immediately following a four-day workshop on the salary survey methodology conducted by the secretariat of ICSC at the request of LSSC and the Director, Bureau of Personnel. 4. In its handling of the survey preparations, the Administration has been guided at every step by ICSC s salary survey methodology for Headquarters duty stations, which calls for the full involvement of the staff representatives. The development of LSSC s recommendations on the survey were therefore a cooperative effort, with the active participation of representatives of both the Administration and the staff. 5. With regard to paragraph 4 of STU s comments, the ICSC secretariat has agreed to extend the data collection beyond 21 May 1999 to enable a number of employers to be included which could not schedule appointments earlier. A representative of the ICSC secretariat is expected to be in Paris for the exercise until 28 May 1999 inclusive. The Administration does not share STU s assessment regarding the ability of the ICSC representatives to participate in the data collection. 6. Concerning the comments in paragraph 5 of STU s text, salary levels at the future G-6 and G-7 grades will be established on the basis of the survey data, in accordance with the survey methodology. If sufficient data is obtained for survey jobs at the G-7 level, extrapolation will not be required. Whether or not extrapolation is to be used cannot be decided in advance, in the absence of data. The use of statistical regression is a standard feature in the analysis of salary survey data. 7. The comment by a representative of the ICSC secretariat referred to in paragraph 6 of STU s text appears to have been misunderstood. The statement by the representative of the ICSC secretariat concerned the technical approach to be used in the data analysis in comparing the current six-grade salary structure with the survey data based on a seven-grade structure. It did not imply that the salary survey could not have implications on the general salary levels.

20 156 EX/30 Add. Annex ANNEX Item 8.3 of the agenda TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT (1998) OF THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND RELATED GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION: REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE UNESCO STAFF UNION SUMMARY Under this item, the UNESCO Staff Union provides its observations on the functioning of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), particularly with respect to the General Service salary survey currently under way for the Paris duty station. 1. The UNESCO Staff Union (STU) notes that General Assembly resolution 53/209 was adopted, as usual, on the basis of the International Civil Service Commission s (ICSC) own report, without any independent evaluation. The passages quoted in paragraph 8 of document 156 EX/30, namely that the General Assembly welcomed the progress made by the Commission in promoting a spirit of constructive cooperation and flexibility towards improving working relations with the staff bodies, and noted that the changes approved by the Commission to its rules of procedure could enable all parties to ensure that their views are reflected during all phases of the consideration of all issues are thus based on no more than self-reporting by the Commission. 2. STU s recent experience of ICSC in connection with the General Service salary survey currently under way in Paris prompts it to cast doubt on that excessively upbeat assessment. Most of STU s specific grievances concern the UNESCO Administration s lack of preparation, tardiness and general amateurism with respect to the salary survey, matters on which STU reserves the right to make a submission to the Board at its forthcoming session under Implementation of personnel policy. However under this agenda item, STU would like to draw attention to a number of shortcomings in the practices of ICSC. 3. In the summary of consultations compiled by ICSC following the pre-survey consultations it held with the Local Salary Survey Committee (LSSC) and the UNESCO Administration in October 1998, ICSC alluded in rather vague terms to the existence of divergent points of view between UNESCO LSSC and itself, but refrained from giving details concerning what STU regarded as violations of the salary survey methodology by the

21 156 EX/30 Add. Annex - page 2 UNESCO Administration. Similarly the draft ICSC report on the work of the forty-ninth session (ICSC/49/CRP.3 and Add.1-13) mentioned divergences of opinion, but once again failed to spell them out, thus giving the impression that the salary survey was progressing more smoothly than was the case. ICSC has simply ignored our requests to include the remarks of STU in full in its reports on the salary survey. ICSC thus appears to function as a fig leaf for the Administration s inability to complete all the work required for the various stages of the salary survey on time. 4. For the data-collection phase of the survey now under way, ICSC saw fit to send three representatives who do not speak French (one of the two working languages of the United Nations) sufficiently well to participate fully in the work. Two of these three representatives are scheduled to leave on 15 May 1999, and the third seems likely to leave before the end of the data collection, which is due to run until 21 May. These facts suggest scant regard for local staff, and a breezy attitude to the whole exercise. 5. An ICSC representative has stated publicly that the method of calculating the differential (extrapolation, regression, etc.) between the future G-6 and G-7 grades in Paris should only be determined once the data-collection phase of the salary survey has been completed. This smacks of setting the rules according to the information received in order to arrive at a predetermined result. 6. Finally, at the salary survey methodology workshop that ICSC held (with considerable delay) in Paris from 26 to 29 April, an ICSC representative declared that UNESCO s total General Services wage bill should remain unchanged. It seems to STU that this is more properly a matter for the Member States to decide at the General Conference, and that ICSC was quite out of order in making such a pronouncement. 7. STU was keen to participate in the current salary survey, given that the outcome will affect the salaries of our General Service members for the next five years. However, having experienced at first hand some of the attitudes and working methods of ICSC, STU understands more clearly why the Federation of International Civil Servants Associations (FICSA) has not yet committed itself to a full return to participation in ICSC sessions. 8. STU remains deeply committed to the United Nations common system of salaries and allowances. Our support for the principle of the common system does not, however, mean that ICSC itself is not perfectible. STU supports the ultimate goal formulated by FICSA of a tripartite body (Member States, administrations and staff) which ensures meaningful staff participation with regard to staff issues and management of the United Nations common system.