NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS (AND EXTENDED GENERAL SERVICE LEVELS)

Transcription

1 Compendium Page 1 SECTION NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS (AND EXTENDED GENERAL SERVICE LEVELS) rd session (March): In the context of the review of the UN salary system, ICSC concluded that no change should be made in the existing structure of categories. It noted for further study, inter alia, local (or national) Professionals and other special categories [A/31/30, para. 48] th and 12th sessions: ICSC examined the practices of UNICEF, UNDP, the UN Information Centres, ILO and IAEA with regard to the use of local or national professional posts in which professional duties were performed but which were remunerated according to local standards by the GS scales, extended GS scales or special salary scales. Documentation prepared by the secretariat reviewed the practices of the organizations employing local or national professionals with regard to the numbers, grades and duty stations of such staff, the duties and responsibilities assigned, the manner in determining remuneration, selection, appointment and career development policies, other miscellaneous conditions of service and the historical background to the introduction of local or national professionals in each organization as well as the justification for employing such staff. Information was also provided on past considerations and proposals formulated within the common system relating to the development of a common policy regarding such staff [A/35/30, para. 299]. CCAQ considered that the fundamental criterion must be that national professionals should be employed only for functions at field offices which by their very nature required national knowledge and experience and so could not be carried out as effectively by international professionals. No post the functions of which did not comply with that criterion may be occupied by a national professional. The functions in question should be justifiable within the overall efforts of the UN system to increase national development and other capabilities; they would be such that the intention would be to hand them over to the host government (or appropriate institutions of the country) when the government so wished. The duration of particular national professional functions should thus be limited. Nationals - by definition, nationals of the country where they were to serve - should be recruited locally and not subject to assignment to any duty station outside their own country. Given the professional nature of their functions, these staff members should not be remunerated according to GS or extended GS salary scales. Any existing national professional posts with functions as described above should be removed from these categories. As the national professionals would perform functions requiring local experience, would be recruited on an exclusively local basis and would not be subject to

2 Compendium Page expatriation, their remuneration should be based on the same principle as all other locally-recruited staff in the UN system, i.e., the best prevailing conditions in the locality for nationals carrying out functions of the same level. Job descriptions for national professional posts should clearly indicate those functions which required national knowledge and experience, as the justification for the inclusion of the post in the category. The work called for should correspond to professional level work as determined by the methodology established by ICSC for distinguishing between P and GS level work and posts and should be classified in accordance with common system job classification standards established by ICSC. The same staff regulations and rules as applied to other locally-recruited staff should apply in principle to national professionals. Their contractual status should be governed by the expected duration of the functions for which they are appointed [A/35/30, para. 303]. ICSC considered that the G-8 staff employed at IAEA and the branch office staff of the ILO could not be grouped with the local Professionals of UNICEF, UNDP and the UN Information Centres as such staff were employed for entirely different reasons and under different circumstances. It noted that both organizations were in the process of eliminating such employment practices and, with respect to IAEA, noted this development with satisfaction, as positions in which P duties where performed should not be placed in the GS category. With regard to local Professionals employed by UNICEF, UNDP and the UN information centres, ICSC observed that there were different interests influencing the debate on this issue - those of Member States, of organizations, of P and of GS staff. While all of these were valid, priority should nevertheless be given to those of Member States. The local Professional arrangement was in many ways responsive to the needs of Member States and in particular to those of developing countries. Besides fulfilling many of the needs described by CCAQ, the arrangement also had the advantage of associating recipient countries more intimately in the national development process. The arrangement did not develop as a means of seeking inexpensive labour nor greater economies as had been alleged, but rather to respond more efficiently and effectively to differing development needs [A/35/30, para. 309]. ICSC decided to permit the employment of local or national Professionals to continue under the conditions proposed by CCAQ (see above) and to keep the arrangement under review in the future. To that effect, ICSC requested CCAQ to provide specific information to ICSC each year as its summer session on (a) the number of local or national Professionals employed by each organization; (b) the grade levels at which such staff were employed and (c) the intention of any organization to begin employing such staff prior to actually doing so [A/35/30, para. 310].

3 Compendium Page th session (July): ICSC reviewed the first annual statistical report on local or national Professionals submitted by CCAQ on behalf of the organizations which employed or intended to employ such staff [A/36/30, para. 165]. ICSC decided that future reports on local or national Professionals would include a descriptive categorization of jobs according to the Common Classification of Occupational Groups (CCOG) established by ICSC, the type of contract, nationality and length of service of the incumbents and the numbers and types (whether international or national P) of staff supervised, if applicable. The information was to be tabulated by job, country and organization. Total numbers of local or national Professionals would be reported on a comparative year-to-year basis for each organization and would include a one-year projection of future employment levels. ICSC decided to request CCAQ to prepare its reports in order to satisfy those requirements, and it also requested CCAQ and the organizations to which it had entrusted the study on salary scales and survey methodology to expedite their work, with a view to presenting final proposals on those issues at the 16th session of ICSC, together with the expanded statistical report on local or national Professionals. This information would enable ICSC at that session to consider again the fundamental question of the use of local or national Professionals. It hoped that CCAQ could provide a progress report at the ICSC 15th session on the studies, surveys and tentative proposals developed by that time [A/36/30, para. 169] th session (March): ICSC noted with appreciation the progress report on the development of a salary survey methodology for national Professionals submitted by CCAQ. It decided to defer its substantive discussion of the issues raised until after it had completed the review of the general methodology of salary surveys in field duty stations, since that would have a direct bearing on the methodology for national P surveys. It requested CCAQ to submit, at the 19th session (1984) final proposals on a methodology for salary surveys at field duty stations. ICSC also requested CCAQ to provide specific information at the 17th session on: (a) the number of national Ps employed by each organization as of 31 December 1982; (b) the grade levels at which such staff were employed; (c) a descriptive categorization of their jobs according to CCOG; (d) the type of contract, nationality and length of service of the incumbents; (e) numbers and types (national or international P, GS) of staff supervised, if applicable. The above information was to be tabulated by job, country and organization. In addition, CCAQ was requested to include a one-year projection of future employment levels. [A/37/30, para. 232].

4 Compendium Page th session (March): ICSC considered data provided at its request by CCAQ, concerning the number and kinds of employment of national Professionals. It decided to take note of the paper presented by CCAQ including projections for the employment of such staff for ICSC requested CCAQ to provide further information at the 19th session in order to enable ICSC to take a definitive decision at that time on the status of this group of staff members [A/38/30, paras. 111 and 116] rd session (March): ICSC reviewed the use of the National Professional Officer (NPO) category by UNICEF, UNDP and UN. In its review, ICSC considered current NPO pay rates, the career, grades and structure of this category, other conditions of service and the relationship of this category to other categories of staff [A/41/30, para. 154]. ICSC recognized the need for NPOs in some development programmes and projects. It also recognized the evolution of that group of staff as necessary, but reiterated the limited conditions it had specified in It also considered that the category could be used in non-headquarters duty stations where there were UN information centres. The organizations concerned should develop a draft job classification standard and classification structure, as well as a salary survey methodology, for consideration by ICSC at its 25th session. In that connection, ICSC noted that it had been envisaged earlier that a supplement could be prepared for the general methodology for salary surveys of the GS and related categories. Proposals should also be made by the organizations as to how to deal with the overlap in functions of staff in the Extended GS Level (EGSL) and NPO categories, who were paid differently [A/41/30, para. 164] th session (July): ICSC had before it a document (ICSC/26/R.20 and Add.1) prepared by UN, UNDP, UNICEF and UNHCR with regard to a job classification standard and the salary survey methodology for the NPO category, as well statistics provided by CCAQ on the employment of NPOs by some organizations [A/42/30, para. 225]. ICSC reaffirmed its recognition of the need for NPOs under specified conditions but expressed some concern about the increasing number of staff in this category and the expectation that this category of staff, which had been recruited for specific purposes, might expect to be appointed at the international P level. With regard to the proposed survey methodology, ICSC noted the applicability of the existing non-headquarters survey methodology for GS staff [A/42/30, para. 229]. With regard to the job classification standard for NPOs, ICSC decided: (a) that the Master Standard for the classification of P posts was the appropriate standard for classifying NPO posts; (b) that proposals should be made by the organizations at the 28th session on how to deal with the overlap in functions of staff in the EGSL and NPO categories. ICSC approved the proposed survey methodology for NPOs, including: (a) the selection of survey jobs and employers; (b) the adjustment for work-week differences; (c) the use of weighting in data analysis on a grade-by-grade basis; (d) the analysis of non-pensionable allowances separately from

5 Compendium Page those for the GS category. It also approved the establishment of dependency allowances on the same basis as the GS category and agreed that overtime and the language allowance should not be payable [A/42/30, paras ] th session (March): On the basis of an analysis of information provided on NPO usage, ICSC requested its secretariat to undertake a review of the use of the NPO category, for consideration by the 38th session [ICSC/37/R.18, para. 180(f)]. 38th session (July/August): ICSC considered documentation prepared in response to its above request (ICSC/38/R.13). It decided to establish a working group with the participation of ICSC members and representatives of organizations and staff, to study all aspects of the employment of NPOs which should report to the 39th session [ICSC/38/R.19, para. 95] th session (March): ICSC had before it the report of the above-mentioned working group (ICSC/39/R. 7). Due to the lack of time, ICSC was unable to consider the item; it was deferred to the 40th session [ICSC/39/R.10, para. 155]. 40th session (June/July): ICSC reviewed the report of the Working Group and additional documentation (ICSC/39/R. 7 and ICSC/40/R.10). ICSC decided: (a) to note the continued expansion of the NPO category, in terms of the overall increase in the number of NPOs employed and the growing number of organizations using the NPO category, as well as the range and type of functions in which NPOs were employed; (b) to recommend to the GA for consideration and adoption the revised criteria for the employment of NPOs which appear in annex VI to the annual report (A/49/30); (c) to request CCAQ to provide annual reports on the deployment of NPOs; (d) to review the use of the NPO category on a regular periodic basis; (e) to request organizations planning to introduce NPOs to inform ICSC, including an explanation of the policy imperatives for their doing so; (f) to reaffirm, at the current stage, the application of (i) the Master Standard for the classification of NPO posts; and (ii) the Flemming principle for the determination of conditions of service of NPOs; (g) to apply to NPO surveys the relevant decisions approved at the 37th session in respect of the general methodology for surveys of the best prevailing conditions of service at non-headquarters duty stations; (h) to request the organizations to develop a set of standard benchmark job descriptions for global use in salary surveys for NPOs and to present them to the ICSC secretariat for review prior to their approval by the Chairman on behalf of ICSC; (i) to request its secretariat, in consultation with the organizations involved, to review the methodology for quantification of benefits applied to NPOs and to propose specific revisions, as necessary; (j) to request the organizations, in the construction of NPO salary scales, to maintain salary differentials between the NPO and GS scales consistent with the differentials observed in the GS scales. In that regard due attention should be paid to the 1994 level of international P salaries; (k) to request its secretariat to consider how best to include in ICSC's work programme the examination of the broader considerations cited in ICSC's

6 Compendium Page 6 discussion of the issue [A/49/30, para. 244 and annexes VI and VII]. The GA, in resolution 49/223, (a) took note with appreciation of the ICSC conclusions in respect of the employment of NPOs and revision of the 1980 conditions; (b) agreed to the revised criteria for the employment of NPOs outlined in the ICSC report; (c) noted ICSC's intention to review the use of NPOs on a regular periodic basis and requested ICSC to report thereon to the GA st session (July/August): The Commission had before it, document [ICSC/70/R.10] prepared by its secretariat which presented an overall profile of the National Professional Officers (NPOs) category and considered their associated conditions of service. The document also addressed how the revised criteria adopted by the Commission for use of the category in 2006 were applied across the common system organizations and whether any revision of those criteria was necessary. On the basis of the data available, the use of NPOs had continued to grow since the Commission s previous review of the category in NPOs were employed in a wide range of occupational groups and under various contractual arrangements, with around 5 per cent of such staff serving on permanent contracts. Approximately 11 per cent of the Officers were funded through regular budgetary contributions from Member States. The allowances and benefits applicable to the NPO category revealed an almost complete harmonization across the common system organizations, except on the separation payments, language incentive and hazard pay. The secretariat s paper suggested that some flexibility should be afforded to the organizations with regard to implementing language incentives to the NPO category. It was also proposed that the Commission specify that hazard pay for NPOs should be made on the basis of the General Service scale, bearing in mind that that was the prevailing practice among the common system organizations and that it would be undesirable to make a distinction in the amount of hazard pay between the two locally recruited categories of staff. The Commission decided to report to: (a) Reaffirm the criteria of 2006 governing the use of NPOs and, in particular: (i) To remind the organizations that the employment of NPOs by a given common system organization should be grounded in a policy framework and that all staff in the NPO category must meet the criteria for their employment; (ii) To reiterate its earlier decision to reject the notion of a regional NPO; (iii) To specify that the use of NPOs at the eight headquarters duty stations was not consistent with the criteria and that their use in duty stations in developed countries might be allowed under limited circumstances where there was a need for national knowledge; (b) To reaffirm that language allowances should not be provided to NPOs. However, organizations should be afforded the flexibility to introduce primarily non-

7 Compendium Page 7 monetary language incentives to the NPO category consistent with their operational needs; (c) To specify that hazard pay for NPOs should be paid on the same basis of 25 per cent of the mid-point of the relevant General Service salary scale; (d) To request its secretariat to remain apprised of the use of National Professional Officers in the common system and to report thereon to the Commission every seven years.