ONE ILO Resolution on the Field Operations and Structure and Technical Cooperation Review

Transcription

1 ONE ILO Resolution on the Field Operations and Structure and Technical Cooperation Review The staff of ILO Country Office for Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, gathered in a Staff Meeting on 8 th July 2013, adopt the following resolution on ONE ILO. WELCOMING the approach adopted by the Director-General, whereby the guiding principles adopted as part of the reform process include that the Office must act, and be seen to act, as One ILO and that reform must be developed and implemented in consultation with staff, and not be just something that happens to them ; NOTING WITH APPRECIATION the Director-General s commitment to pursuing the best staff-management relations, as well as his strong adhesion and commitment to a participatory and inclusive process and [ ] informing, consulting and negotiating as and where we should and we must, not just as a matter of principle, but because it is the way you get the best results ; RECOGNIZING that the Staff Union has a statutory responsibility to represent the interests of the staff, and that its objects are to defend and promote the professional, economic and social interests of all persons in the employment of the ILO, to cooperate with the Director-General in seeking to reach the objectives of the Organization and ensure the efficient working of the Organization; and to safeguard the status, independence and safety of all categories of staff employed by the ILO; In this time of reform, and on the particular occasion of the Field Operations and Structure and Technical Cooperation Review, we: AT A GLOBAL LEVEL FULLY SUPPORT the ONE ILO campaign, outlined in the 2013 Programme and Strategy 1 of the Union and promoting the idea of breaking down barriers, ending differences and treatment between categories and bridging the gaps between the staff. COMMIT TO HELP ACHIEVE the ONE ILO campaign objectives, which have particular resonance for the field, including: Putting an end to double standards on staff security 2, depending on source of funding or between internationally- and locally-recruited staff; 1

2 Engaging in a review of the classification of positions and renegotiating the Generic Job Descriptions; Ensuring transparency for all in recruitment and selection policies and procedures; Ending precarious work; Bridging the gap between the conditions of TC and RB staff, and Extending maternity protection. AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION at the regional level on the priority areas outlined in the Conclusions and Recommendations of the 4th Regional Committee Meeting of the ILO Staff Union for the African Region (Yaoundé, 30 June 4 July 2012) 3 including, inter alia: 1. Functioning of the SHIF Efforts must be made to address long-standing problems related to inadequate resourcing of the secretariat and long delays in reimbursement and responsiveness. Under no circumstances should reimbursement exceed one month from the date of submission. 2. Reclassification and Grading In line with the principle of equal pay for work of equal value we invite the Office to: a. Adequately reflect new responsibilities following restructuring or the suppression of positions with the appropriate grade, following a consultative process including affected staff and the Union; b. Identify and address cases, and take measures to prevent burnout arising from increasing responsibilities and workload during restructuring or work reorganization; c. Review and renegotiate the Generic Job Description, as a matter of urgency; d. On the basis of the new Generic Job Descriptions, conduct a comprehensive review of the grading of each position compared to other UN agencies. 3. Safety and Security of Staff Recognizing the laudable efforts made by our Field Security team with limited resources and legal / administrative frameworks sorely in need of updating, we invite the Office, at both the regional and global level to: a. Take immediate measures to increase the capacity and the human and financial resources available to manage risk and effectively respond to dayto-day critical incidents. The ratio of staff to security personnel should be reviewed and brought into line with best practice. It is proposed that a dedicated security focal points be deployed in each region; b. Engage to immediately resolve the legal, administrative and financial problems which lead to discriminatory treatment between staff on the regular budget and technical cooperation in accessing resources for security; Yaounde-2012.pdf

3 c. Establish clear guidelines on use of the various modes of travel, especially airlines, including suitable back-up plans; d. Ensure that the paramount consideration in the selection of office location including the use of One UN houses and the design of office space is the security and safety of staff; LOCAL 4. Travel Policy Following the challenging negotiations on conditions of travel, the difficulties inherent in air travel in the region, particularly in Central and West Africa, should be taken into account when determining exceptions under Article 4 (g); 5. Occupational Safety and Health Efforts must continue to ensure full implementation of the Policy on Occupational Safety and Health, to complement measures taken on staff security, and ensure safe and healthy working conditions for all, and 6. Staff Development Funds To ensure full transparency and confidence of the staff, the Regional Office should ensure that staff, and their representatives, are involved in decision-making processes on such critical issues dealing with staff training and career development. INVITE the Field Operations and Structure and Technical Cooperation Review to consider the following issues which are of particular concern for the staff in Dar es Salaam. The following are based on our contribution to the Call for contributions from the Transition team following a brainstorming session held on the 8 th of July, 2013: 1. Field operations, structures and TC review exercise Staff are of the opinion that it is long overdue for the ILO to implement its decisions pertaining to strengthening field offices, as prescribed through numerous communications means especially the Director General s announcements/ IGDS, rather than issuing new ones on the same subject. Of particular concern is IGDS no. 150 (version 2) which commitment was made to make use of national coordinators in countries where the ILO has no office and where ILO activities warrant a stronger presence. To date, in as far as ILO Country Office Dar es Salaam is concerned, the appointment of national coordinators, along with all the requisite structures to support such a role, remains pending. ILO should avail the requisite resources to implement this commitment which is a key component of the field review exercise. Further, staff resolved that more empowered field offices including decision making by Directors, HR functions with staff development plans, resource mobilization and the recognition of technical capacities found in field office through the work done by field staff especially national staff warrant investing in by allocation of more authority (decentralization); better planning and usage of staff development funds for all staff as well as training in technical areas and effective HR functions, HR planning, staff development and succession plans.

4 . 2. HRD The generic job descriptions were useful tools for proper recruitment and management of ILO staff. However, they have lived their purpose and have not been updated and are now outdated and not in line with the new roles and responsibilities that came with the field restructuring exercise. The majority of locally recruited staff members are dissatisfied with their job classification and the reclassification process. For instance, Finance officers are graded G7 in some field offices while for the same job some are NO-B in other offices. To enable the HRD not to wind up being a conveyor belt of delivering messages between staff and HR-ROAF//Geneva, staff call upon empowering Country Office HR focal points/ assistants to play a more prominent role in setting up the human resources the office recruits. In so doing, staff call upon the Office to designate HR personnel with more pronounced functions: HR planning, staff development and succession plans i.e. consideration for new positions should be given to existing staff coupled with skills upgrading in case TNA identifies skills gaps. Noting the on-going processes of negotiations between SU and management, there is definitely a need to update job descriptions and classification in a consistent manner across offices. Senior local staff constitutes the institutional memory, experience in specific technical areas, which is hardly given recognition in the ILO, consequently withering its competitive edge vis sister UN agencies with grades of NO-B and NO-D, grades that are not integrated in the ILO s HRD system. As the delivering as One/ Un reform initiative gains pace, it is imperative to synchronize the National Officer positions with those of sister UN agencies that embrace NO-C and NO-D levels, to truly reflect One UN. Staff mobility: Staff mobility be considered as part and parcel of staff development, with a clear way of implementing the mobility policy, e.g. staff exchange programmes, and transfer of staff on temporary basis within and or outside the country offices as is the practice in other UN agencies. Some of the HQ based functions need to be also decentralised to the COs/DWT/ROs; e.g. Procurement and JUR staff to RO to ensure effective support to field work.. 3. Staff Development Fund (2% of RB allocation) The amount allocated to the field office is very little making it difficult to meet the needs identified through the Performance Appraisals (PA) system. This reduces the Performance Appraisal process to a mere administrative process. SDF funds need to be further decentralised and distributed in such a way that all functions in the Office are covered, i.e. Finance, Administration, Registry, IT, Programming and Communication, etc.

5 4. Staff Security Coverage of local staff in UN Common system administrative processes is limited despite increasing challenges for staff in the face of deteriorating public services (water, electricity, health, etc.) Staff take cognizance of the fact that local staff are as equally, if not more, vulnerable to security threats as / than international staff, hence the need for an arrangement that addresses their needs within the ILO system, particularly in cases of emergencies. They call upon a review of arrangements to go beyond the current salary advances, e.g. home security, medical evacuations to address broader security needs, especially in this era in which UN staff are increasingly being targeted by different perpetrators for various reasons. 5. Health Insurance (SHIF) SHIF is not recognised by local health service providers, compromising access to health services for staff. Staff members have to pay100% cash up front to access health services (only to be reimbursed 80%) or are compelled to enrol with local health service providers in addition to SHIF contributions being deducted from their salaries. To make SHIF work for staff for whom it was created staff suggest that Decentralisation of SHIF to the Regional level be considered in the case of processing reimbursements and medical evacuation procedures faster SHIF needs to be reorganised to ensure it services staff in field offices, taking example from other UN Agencies which have decentralised the reimbursements and urgent medical evacuations.