Following the townhall on Monday 17 October, the UNOG Staff Coordinating Council met privately with the Secretary-General to discuss his proposals for reforming the United Nations.
We informed him that while we did not oppose reform, such reform should be carefully thought through to ensure it benefited the organization, its staff and member states. To this end we raised concerns, as expressed by you, on the lack of consultation on key issues, such as department heads being set outsourcing targets, travel entitlements being reduced and long-serving staff being required to take a 31-day break-in-service.
These points reflect a letter sent to the Secretary-General on Saturday on behalf of all staff unions of the United Nations, which we encourage you to read here.
On mobility, we reaffirmed our position, as highlighted at the Extraordinary Assembly on Friday 14 October, that we would continue, in the staff-management working group, to examine all options relating to a mobility policy and not just the option favoured by the Secretary-General in which staff would be required to change duty station every two to five years (see our broadcast of 3 October). We also pointed out that it was difficult to compare the organization to a foreign service given its heterogeneity, the specialized nature of its work and the absence of a home base to which staff would return regularly. We also pointed to the disruption and costs associated with regular moves
In response to our concerns, the Secretary-General agreed that there should be “proper” consultation and more of it. He also said that any targets set for outsourcing could, subject to staff-management consultations, be revised downwards.
On mobility he said he did not believe the current staff selection system facilitates mobility as the evaluation criteria for each post are too specific and require very specialized skills and knowledge. He preferred a more flexible system. He acknowledged that the inclusion of organizations like UNDP and UNICEF in the mobility scheme would enlarge the career opportunities and pointed out that the harmonization of condition of service between the Secretariat and the funds and programmes took things in the right direction. He added that staff who stayed in the same position, sometimes for up to 10 or even 20 years, risked becoming demotivated and pointed out that he does not normally allow Under-Secretaries-General and Assistant-Secretaries-General to serve more than five years in the same position.
We concluded by informing him that the staff unions of the United Nations would be meeting in New York from 14 to 18 November to develop a common position on the issues of mobility and reform and looked forward to meeting him then.
We will of course continue to keep you, the staff of UNOG, informed of all developments and hold regular meetings with you on these important matters.