REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE STAFF ASSOCIATION
RENE L. GUTIERREZ
DURING THE ASSUMPTION OF FUNCTIONS HELD ON
JULY 18, 2006
Chief of Staff of the
Secretary General,
Chief of Staff of the Assistant Secretary General,
Dear colleagues:
I wish to begin by
paying tribute to the memory of our coworker Susana Ramsburg. As our
representative on the Joint Committee on Insurance Matters, she defended
our interests and she worked arduously in the Office of Conferences and
Meetings until her final days. It is to her that I dedicate my term of
office.
My thanks to those
who took part in the recent elections. By casting their ballots, they
expressed their confidence that this new Committee would continue
defending and protecting the rights of all General Secretariat staff
members, especially with regard to their working conditions. I am
taking on these responsibilities with enthusiasm, dedication, and
integrity, guided by our internal rules and regulations and by General
Assembly resolutions.
I would also like to
thank our colleagues who served on the 2005-2006 Committee, whose term
of office is ending today, for their work over the past 12 months.
At the outset of this
term of office, we have some concern about matters that have yet to be
resolved and about others that tend to come to the fore during periods
of budget crisis. Clearly, the task ahead will be difficult. I would
therefore ask you to maintain a sense of unity as everyone will stand to
benefit. I can assure you that, for our part, we will keep you informed
of our activities. Please share your ideas and comments with us.
Closer communication among all of us will help strengthen the ties that
bind us in this great inter-American family.
A first area of
concern are the recent statements by some delegates in the Permanent
Council and the General Assembly on the system of parity with the United
Nations. These are troublesome because they are devoid of a historical
context. It would appear once again that some are looking for the
easiest possible way out of a situation that requires commitment and
faith in our institution. We should ask ourselves why¾recognizing
as we all do what the OAS has meant for development and maintenance of
democratic order in our region¾there
is a lack of political will in our Organization that is absent in other
international organizations. I should remind you that, over the years,
every case we have brought to the Administrative Tribunal regarding an
adequate, dignified, and transparent remuneration system has been
decided in our favor because the law is on our side. Consequently, we
should not waste energy on matters that have already been discussed,
reformulated, and agreed upon by both sides through a referendum and
good will. This notwithstanding, the General Secretariat has now been
entrusted with preparing a report on the legal background to the salary
policy of parity and on whether it can be continued in light of new
mandates, the restructuring of the General Secretariat, and the
Organization’s financial situation. Even though we know that various
studies already exist that meet these criteria, this Staff Committee
places itself at the service of the Secretary General, as it has done on
prior occasions, to work on drawing up this important document and
undertake any other activities related to the General Secretariat staff
and intended to improve its conditions. I would like to thank all of
our member state representatives who have expressed their faith in the
staff and their respect for the present parity system. Their remarks
give us the energy to set out on this path once again.
We should recognize
that the parity system is not a partialized system. For example, the
classification system is an integral part of the salary scale.
Replacing this system with another could have an adverse impact on the
internal balance.
Second, the General
Assembly has decided to ask the Secretary General, for the purpose of
improving evaluation and accountability in the General Secretariat’s
personnel management, to put into practice an effective performance
evaluation system that includes establishing goals and standards,
facilitating and promoting greater efficiency in the performance of
functions, and systematizing performance evaluation. We believe in a
just and impartial evaluation system and are prepared to work with the
administration in carrying out this General Assembly mandate. Therefore
I propose that a working group be set up with the participation of
professional and general services staff.
A third matter before
us is gender equality within the General Secretariat, which, despite
numerous resolutions and mandates of the governing bodies, has continued
to make limited progress. The solution does not lie exclusively with
filling P-5 and higher-level posts with people from outside the
Organization by appointing them to positions of trust. The Secretariat
should have a comprehensive staff policy that seeks to bring in¾by
means of competitive exams¾people
capable of carving out careers in the General Secretariat. At the same
time, recognition must be given to staff who joined the General
Secretariat and have endeavored to improve themselves by obtaining
university degrees. All of this must be part of a staff policy that
fully incorporates the principle of geographic representation, proven
efficiency, and possible upward mobility for those who deserve it.
Fourth, it is my
understanding that the General Secretariat is trying to maintain a
policy of lateral movement and rotation that would facilitate the
transfer of staff members to posts in the General Secretariat within the
same category and grade level, in order to strengthen the Organization’s
installed capacity to respond, perhaps more efficiently, to the changing
mandates we receive. There is no doubt that, if rules are complied with
when making transfers, the outcome could be beneficial for both the
staff and the Organization. Otherwise, both the areas concerned and the
staff members could be hurt.
Fifth, I would like
to refer to harassment in the workplace. As all of you will recall, on
April 11, 2005, the Secretary General signed Executive Order No. 05-7,
on harassment in the workplace, which established, as a policy and an
objective of the Organization, that each international staff member,
intern, and independent contractor would be treated with dignity and
respect and would work in a healthy professional environment free from
all forms of workplace harassment. When adopting this policy, the
General Secretariat pledged to ensure that it was implemented, promptly
and without discrimination. At no time was it to interfere with the
evaluation of staff, interns, or contractors. I invite you to become
familiar with this policy to gain a better understanding of the concept
of harassment in the workplace and to be able to avail yourselves of
your rights. I would ask the administration to make the policy
available in English. As established in Executive Order No. 81-5,
“[e]xecutive Orders shall be issued simultaneously in Spanish and in
English.” We are also awaiting the appointment of the persons who will
address the complaints, as well as the start of the training program for
these investigators.
To increase staff
participation in Staff Association activities, this Committee will
invite new staff members to become members of working groups in
different areas of common interest, and we will offer new benefits. I
shall also propose reestablishment of the cadre system as an effective
means of communication. We will also promote social and cultural
activities every month to build staff solidarity.
Those of us working
at headquarters are affected by fuel cost increases. I therefore
propose that the flextime system be reviewed and that an institutional
standard be set for a real flextime system, as in other international
organizations.
In conclusion, I
promise to faithfully carry out my duties as President of the Staff
Association and to respect and comply with existing rules. I wish to
reaffirm my conviction that our Association will be what its members
want it to be and will cease to exist when we stray from our mandates
and ideals. People may leave but institutions remain. Let us continue
to uphold the spirit of responsibility to our brothers and sisters of
the Americas.
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