From the Staff Committee 2014-2015	(202) 370-4645
July 7, 2015	SN- 64/14-15
Report to staff on the Staff Committee’s first meeting with the Secretary General On June 12, 2015, at 2:00 pm, the members of the Staff Committee held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, the Chief of Staff of the Secretary General, Ambassador Jacinth Henry-Martin, and Ambassador Gabriel Bidegain. Carla Sorani, Beatriz Ferro-Santos, Cecilia Martins, Sheyla Carvalho, Lilly Ching, Beverly Wharton-Lake, and Juan Cruz Monticelli were present in representation of the Staff Committee. Below is a summary of the topics covered in the meeting. 1. Finalization of the revision to the Workplace and Sexual Harassment Rules and beginning staff training. The Chair reported that in mid-2014, a group of officials from the General Secretariat had made an effort to investigate and propose a revision of the rules and enhance the investigation mechanism in cases of sexual harassment. The Staff Committee adopted this proposal and presented it to the recently-formed Task Force charged with reviewing the rules on workplace and sexual harassment. This group was spearheaded by the Secretary for Administration and Finance, with the participation of representatives from the Staff Committee, investigators of cases of harassment, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Legal Services, the Inter-American Commission of Women, officials from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Office of the Inspector General.  Though the Office of the Secretary for Administration and Finance submitted a proposal, it did not include an investigation mechanism. Given that the issue remained unresolved and the Secretary General has not put forth any new policy or rules on workplace and sexual harassment to date, the Chair reiterated the importance of moving forward with this work to develop a suitable policy and rules to address the matter and to include an appropriate investigation mechanism and training efforts for employees. The Chair underscored that initial training efforts could be developed with existing human resources inside the Secretariat who are trained on the topic and willing to collaborate, instead of using the costly proposal of hiring external consultants for the training, as suggested by the Department of Human Resources. The Secretary General requested a copy of the proposal that was sent to the General Secretariat by the Staff Committee and indicated that instructions would be given to the Department of Human Resources addressing the matter. 2. Misinformation about requests for auditing and classification of posts and required medical examinations. The Chair relayed the Staff Committee’s concern surrounding employee complaints about erroneous information provided by the Department of Human Resources to Secretariat employees attempting to submit request for post audits. In recent months, the Department of Human Resources has notified some employees submitting requests for post audits that said requests cannot be accepted because they were not included in the OAS Program-Budget. Moreover, they have stated that it would require creating new posts or a mandatory signature from the director of the area. However, this information contradicts the stipulations of the Staff Rules in Rule 102.3(a), (b), and (e), which state that the Department of Human Resources is responsible for ensuring that the grade of each post is compatible with its duties and level of responsibility, in accordance with the Classification Standards. As regards medical examinations, the Chair reported having received complaints that the Department of Human Resources had requested that several employees joining the General Secretariat sign a form consenting to an AIDS test. The Chair informed the Secretary General that the Staff Committee had sent a letter to the Director of the Department of Human Resources requesting clarification of the grounds for requesting specific medical tests, the types of examinations requested, and protocols for handling confidential employee information. After learning of this situation, the Secretary General assuring the Staff Committee that no OAS employee or applicant would be forced to sign any document of the sort abovementioned, as it is discriminatory. Regarding the requests for reclassification, the Secretary General confirmed that the employee rights granted in the Staff Rules would be respected and that the Department of Human Resources would receive all of the requests thereto submitted. 3. Publication of the list of pending competitive posts The Chair reported that in October 2014 the Secretary General submitted a list of pending competitive posts to the member states that, according to the Department of Human Resources, would be published. The Staff Committee repeatedly asked, to no avail, the Department of Human Resources publish this list, since employees go to the Staff Association looking for information on the order of precedence for competitive posts and the steps needed to access more stable contracts. The Secretary General stated that he would ask the Department of Human Resources to publish the list of pending competitive posts. 4. Measures to be taken to address the US$1.2 million budget ceiling cut for the 2016 Program-Budget and the US$700,000 reduction to the ICR The Chair expressed the Staff Committee’s concern over the US$1.2 million budget ceiling cut for the 2016 Program-Budget for the Regular Fund and the US$700,000 reduction to the Indirect Cost Recovery Fund. This concern stems from, among other reasons, the lack of a mechanism through which states can adjust their quotas according to statutory increases. It was suggested that any financial measures taken by the General Secretariat in the future as a result of these adjustments not affect employees. The Secretary General said that he is aware of these challenges and stated that he is working to improve the financial future of the General Secretariat. 5. Telework The Staff Committee reported that in past years it had drafted and submitted a proposal for implementing a teleworking policy as an option in certain circumstances. This initiative did not move forward as the previous Secretary General deemed it inappropriate. However, based on recent experiences in which employees were authorized to work from home, the Staff Committee feels it would be appropriate to revisit the teleworking proposal. The Committee believes it is useful, particularly in circumstances in which the employee cannot travel to work for specific, approved reasons, but could still work and produce remotely. The Secretary General requested a copy of the proposal that was sent to the General Secretariat by the Staff Committee, as well as the grounds for the proposal. 6. Information and staff management during the restructuring process of the Secretariat The Chair made reference to the uncertainty caused by transition processes and the importance of bolstering official channels of information. The Secretary General explained that throughout his tenure, he will work to align the General Secretariat structure with the pillars of the OAS strategic vision and that the proposed changes will not add costs to the OAS’s 2015 Program-Budget. 7. Appointment of an Ombudsperson The Chair offered the support of the Staff Committee for the Secretary General’s initiative and requested that the Staff Association be invited to participate in the selection process for the ombudsperson, as well as the process for defining the work description for the post. The Chair stressed how important it is for the appointed person to have the confidence of both the employees and the Secretary General. The Secretary General reported that the position had already been offered to a woman, who must have his full trust to carry out her duties. At the end of the meeting, the Staff Committee thanked the Secretary General and his team for their time and reaffirmed their commitment to work with the Secretariat on these and other matters.
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