From the Staff Committee 2012-2013
(202)370-4647
June 14, 2013
FYI # 8 /12-13
Did you know that by virtue of Resolution AG/RES.1319 (XXV-O/95), the Organization adopted the Classification System of the United Nations as a method and system for job classification for the General Secretariat of the OAS?
Article 38 of the General Standards provides the Secretary General shall include in the proposed program-budget the necessary funds for an audit of the classification of all posts, which shall be conducted at least once every four or six years.
In addition, Chapter II of the Staff Rules establishes the following procedures and rights:
§ The classification of posts is related to the post and not to the person occupying the post, and is not affected by factors such us: physical location, length of service, quality of performance, education or experience of the incumbent, or volume of work.
§ The Department of Human Resources shall review the classification of each vacant post before proceeding to fill the post. The classification of posts in each Secretariat, Department, or Office of the General Secretariat shall be reviewed periodically by the Department of Human Resources on its own initiative or by responding to the incumbent's or his/her supervisor's requests, or may schedule Secretariat-wide, classification reviews.
§ The review of posts shall consist of: (i) An analysis of the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of each post, (ii) An audit of each post, which insofar as possible will include on-site discussion with the incumbent and with his/her supervisors and an examination of some work samples; and (iii) An evaluation of the post in accordance with the Organization’s Classification Standards.
§ The Department of Human Resources shall review the classification and correct any errors or omissions that the review may reveal in the description of the post and shall certify the classification level of the post in accordance with the Organization’s Classification Standards and the post’s job description.
§ The classification of each post, regardless of the level of the post in the budget, shall regulate all actions related to that post.
§ A staff member: (i) who belongs to the Career Service, (ii) who has a continuing contact, or (iii) who has been providing services under a fixed-term contract for more than three years, may request an individual review, provided that he/she presents to the Director of the Department of Human Resources a completed Official Reclassification Request Form describing the new duties and functions he/she is performing and other changes in his/her post which he/she believes may alter its classification
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