From the Staff Committee 2014-2015	202-370-4645
April 2^nd, 2015	SN-40/14-15 Original: English
On March 13^th, 2015 the Staff Committee met with the Secretary General to discuss several issues of importance to the staff. The issues that were discussed included the status of pending competitions (Series A and Continuing Contracts), the development of a workplace harassment and sexual harassment policy and the Transition Budget for 2015. The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff, Ambassador Hugo de Zela, the Secretary of Administration and Finance, Mr. Peter Quilter and the Director of Human Resources, Mr. Rodrigo Torres. Regarding the status of pending competitions, the President requested that these competitions be carried out as soon as possible and in accordance with the established schedule taking into consideration that staff have long awaited the opportunity to compete for their posts and this prolonged wait creates an atmosphere of uncertainty in the workplace. The Director of Human Resources informed that continuing contract competitions are in process and should concluded by the end of March, as per the established schedule. As for the Series A competitions, he indicated that of the 68 pending competitions 48 have been published in accordance with the established schedule set forth through December 31^st, 2015. Notwithstanding, he indicated that the possibility exists that the Secretariat will be unable to comply with the December 31^st deadline and will need to request an extension from Member States to complete the pending competitions. The Secretary General urged the Department of Human Resources to take the necessary steps to ensure that the competitions are completed by the established deadline. The President, as a member of the working group established to develop the policy on sexual harassment, proposed to the Secretary General that the draft presented by members of the Commission and adopted by the Staff Committee be considered as a starting point for this exercise. In this regard, the Secretary of Administration and Finance informed that the working group has been formed, to date having held four meetings, and that it would be through this group that the necessary consultations would take place to reach a consensus document. Additionally, he indicated that, given the complexity of the issue, it would take several months to elaborate a document that achieves an internal consensus. The Staff Committee expressed concern with regards to the proposal to finance the transition budget of approximately US$ 2,000,000.00 with the Reserve Subfund and the impact it could have on staff, concern based on the lack of cash in the Reserve Subfund. According to the most recent quarterly report, the General Secretariat informed that at the end of 2014 only 86% of the quotas had been collected, necessitating an internal loan of $7.6 million, approved by Permanent Council Resolution CP/RES. 1034 (2014), to address the lack of liquidity caused by this deficit.  In addition, the Secretariat indicated that it could not project the repayment of the US$7.6 million loan because some Member States had not provided payment plans. The Secretary of Administration and Finance explained that there are two parallel situations. First is the need to finance the transition budget through the Reserve Subfund, which in accounting terms has US$ 2,015,000, which is sufficient to cover the costs of the transition. Secondly is the lack of liquidity resulting from a delay by some Member States in making their 2015 quota payments.  In this sense, the Administration expressed optimism about receiving quota payments/payment plans from a few Member States that would help cope with the liquidity issue; otherwise the situation could worsen. As for the transition period, the Secretary General informed that he is confident that the process will be smooth and orderly.  He does not expect significant changes for the staff however, with regards to the labor uncertainty that accompanies any transition process, he recognized the legitimacy of the concerns expressed by the Staff Committee; and assured that he would work with the Secretary General elect and his transition team to ensure the continuity of staff. The Staff Committee thanked the Secretary General for receiving its representatives and providing information about these issues.
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