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From the Staff Committee
2017-2018 |
(202)
370-4645 |
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September 1st, 2017 |
SN-5/17-18 Original:
English |
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MEETING OF THE STAFF COMMITTEE AND SECRETARY GENERAL
ALMAGRO The Staff Committee met with
Secretary General Almagro this past August 28, 2017 to discuss issues of
interest for OAS personnel. Gonzalo Koncke, Chief of Staff of the
Secretary General and Maria Teresa Mellenkamp, advisor to the Secretary
General were also present at the meeting. The issues discussed included the
calendar of competitions and reclassifications, the competition for the
position of Director of the Department of Human Resources, the situation of
the Administrative Tribunal, the 2018 budget for the Organization, the
implementation of existing policies of the General Secretariat and the
improper access to private and confidential information in the OAS. The President of the Staff
Committee introduced the 2017-2018 Staff Committee and expressed it desire to
maintain open collaboration with the Secretary General and his team.
For his part, the Secretary General indicated his commitment that all
personnel be treated with dignity and transparency in the actions taken by
the General Secretariat. In relation to the calendar of
competitions and reclassifications, the Staff Committee expressed its
concerns that these processes be completed by the end of the year (56
competitions of which 21 have been completed). The Secretary General
indicated that the time frame should be met and indicated that in the future,
when Secretariats assign new functions, they need to ensure that they are
linked to the availability of financial resources to cover the costs related
to the reclassification of posts. Conscious of the importance of having
financing for each of the reclassifications, the President of the Committee
emphasized the importance of a Secretariat-wide audit of all posts in the
General Secretariat, as stipulated in the General Standards. This audit would
permit everyone the opportunity to have their posts audited and their job
descriptions brought up to date. With respect to the
competition for the position of Director of Human Resources, the Secretary
General expressed his desire that the selection by an external company be
completed by January 1, 2018. The Committee handed over a list of 10
companies that could provide recruitment and selection services to the OAS.
At the request of the Secretary General, the Staff Committee will accompany
the process of selecting the company that will conduct the competition. The Staff Committee emphasized
the importance of the Administrative Tribunal to the staff and expressed its
concern about the lack of information about the status of its
operations. Likewise, the Committee expressed its satisfaction that the
draft budget for 2018 included resources for its normal functions. In reference to the 2018
budget, the Committee emphasized the importance of again including funds for
the training of staff, especially for those acquiring new responsibilities
due to the decrease in staff in the OAS. The Staff Committee also made
reference to the need to consider conducting a general audit of posts in the
General Secretariat. The Committee gave the
Secretary General a letter from the OAS LGBTQI group, requesting that the
General Secretariat consider a policy that permits transgender persons who
visit the OAS to receive security passes with the name by which they choose
to identify. The Staff Committee also indicated that it was available to work
with the General Secretariat to revisit existing policies and propose
improvements in its implementation. Regarding the improper access
to private and confidential information of OAS personnel, the Secretary
General indicated that it had taken institutional steps to address the
situation. The Secretary General has ordered an integral audit on the
protection of information in the General Secretariat that will be carried out
by the Inspector General. Likewise, it has suspended access to the database
that was improperly utilized and all other inquiries in the future must be
authorized directly by the Secretary General. The Staff Committee expressed
the concern of all staff about the lack of information about the
investigation being conducted and requested that the Secretary General inform
personnel on the specific actions being taken to safeguard personal and
confidential information. The committee appreciates the
openness of the Secretary General and has requested another Town Hall Meeting
in the coming months. The Secretary General thanked the Staff Committee
for presenting its concerns and asked it to maintain a channel of direct,
open and transparent communication with his office to address issues of
concern to the Staff. |
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