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From the Staff Committee
2016-2017 |
(202)
370-4645 |
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November 1st, 2016 |
SN-23/16-17 Original:
English |
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MEETING OF THE
STAFF COMMITTEE WITH SECRETARY GENERAL ALMAGRO The Staff Committee met with
Secretary General Almagro on October 17th, 2016, to discuss
matters of importance to staff. The President began by
thanking the Secretary General (SG) for the message of condolences he sent
and his Chief of Staff read at the Memorial Service for Mrs. Claudia Erazo,
held on October 14th, 2016. The President also thanked the
SG for unfreezing the competitions. Staff morale The President highlighted the
importance of working towards a better work environment and a zero tolerance
policy on harassment. The Secretary General asked the Committee to present
him with specific issues that could be swiftly addressed. The President
emphasized the importance of having standardized procedures across the board
to avoid differential treatment of staff. The President informed the
Secretary General that the Staff
Committee had sent a list of HR functions to the Secretary of Administration
and Finance of some procedures that the Committee believes need to be
standardized within the context of SAF. The Secretary General committed to
following up on the matter, requesting that the Committee provides him with
the list. The President also indicated
that there is a great deal of stress and anxiety among staff, citing the
yearly reductions in the staff complement, compounded by the recent departure
of 26 staff members who accepted incentive packages, as major contributing
factors. She added that staff continues to work on fulfilling mandates
despite staff reductions and eliminations. The Committee requested that the
Secretary General takes measures towards reducing the stress on staff,
suggesting as a first step, to indicate to member states that under the
present circumstances, given the budgetary constraints, not all mandates can
be fulfilled. The Secretary General proposed
to work with the Staff Committee to identify jobs or areas that are under
high levels of pressure and realign accordingly. He insisted that the
Secretariats should let him know what work they are able to perform under the
current circumstances and what work they cannot reasonably perform, so that
he may provide member states with concrete information on the matter. The
President indicated that realignment could help and offered the assistance of
the Staff Committee in that regard, to ensure that staff interests are
represented. The Secretary General proposed to send a joint communication
with the Staff Committee requesting the job description of all the posts from
each Secretariat with a view towards addressing the issue of realignment. Transfers The President informed the
Secretary General of the Staff Committee’s concern that the Committee on
Transfers established by the Secretary General had only met once to-date. The
Secretary General indicated that he would convene a meeting of the Committee
on Transfers to have a broad discussion on the matter. Flexible Work Arrangements The Committee presented the
Secretary General with a proposal on flexible work arrangements. The
President went over the main objectives of the proposal and indicated that
the results of a survey administered by the Committee earlier this year
confirm that the proposed measures were very appealing to the staff.
The proposal was well received by the Secretary General, and the Committee
was informed that his Office would forward the proposal to the Department of
Legal Services and Department of Human Resources for review and comments and
to provide a response on the feasibility of proposal within three days. Town Hall Finally, the matter of
Secretary General’s Town Hall Meeting was discussed. The Secretary
General proposed November 7, 2016, as the date for the next Town Hall
Meeting. The President suggested inviting member states to the Town Hall
Meeting, so they can hear directly from staff. The Secretary General
indicated that he would consider the proposal. |
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