Topics  The UN Charter, Flemming and Noblemaire  Local and non-local  Local Salary Surveys  Post Adjustment reviews  Hardship & Mobility  System wide coordination

The UN Charter The UN Charter, art.101: "3. The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible". – See ILO Staff Regulations, art.4.2. A)

Flemming and Noblemaire The Flemming principle: ILOAT, Judgment 1713 “ What Flemming ordains is that General Service staff shall have pay and other terms of employment that match the best on offer at their duty station.” ILOAT, judgment 986 The Noblemaire principle is composed of two rules: "One is that, to keep the international civil service as one, its employees shall get equal pay for work of equal value, whatever their nationality or the salaries earned in their own country. The other rule is that in recruiting staff from their full membership international organisations shall offer pay that will draw and keep citizens of countries where salaries are highest".

Jobs are classified into categories - Some are filled « as far as possible » by locally recruited officials - Others taking into account the « importance of maintaining a staff selected on a wide geographical basis. » - A SINGLE SCALE OF REMUNERATION COULD KEEP THESE DIFFERENCES AND SOLVE SOME DIFFICULT ISSUES Local and non-local

Local and non local (ctd.) LABOUR LAWS ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLE OF EMPLOYERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN DISPLACING EMPLOYEES: removal, housing, schooling, installation, repatriation, visit to dependents, home leave, mission status, cost of living, hardship … SO DOES THE COMMON SYSTEM BUT LABOUR LAWS ALSO ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY OF TREATMENT !

Local Salary Surveys  “Best prevailing local rates” is not “highest possible rate”  Review sample of comparators, at each duty station  Take into account fringe benefits, transform kind into cash  Participatory process, staff representatives, all agencies  Nuances or differences between HQ and the Field

Local Salary Surveys: Key Actors  Key Actors in the Local Salary Survey  ICSC (omnipresent at HQ) or Salaries Specialist from lead Agency HQ (Field – usually UNDP)  Chairman of LSSC ( in the Field, UN Res.Coord. too often delegates to Admin. official )  Organizations and staff ( in the Field, sometimes not easy to explain need to have differentiation )

Salary Surveys: Special Cases  Established calendars for full surveys  In between (Field) need for interim, mini surveys  Special cases: inflation without reliable outside index, economic or financial crises, closure of major entreprises …  A SURVEY MAY BE CALLED FOR AT ANY POINT IN TIME AT SHORT NOTICE

Salary Surveys: Need for Training  Salary Surveys are not simple operations  Require competent, motivated, stable staff representatives  Every opportunity to get trained should be seized (training for HQ methodology lasts one full week)

Local Salary Surveys in Practice (1)  Salary Survey Phase 1: Preparation Phase  Selection of Employers (pre-survey – HQ- or direct contacts – Field - might be necessary to help in that process)  Job Selection Process (description and classification of jobs selected need to be uniform amongst organizations)

Local Salary Surveys in Practice (2)  Salary Survey Phase 2: Data Collection  Interview experience (prepare in advance; contact trade unions)  Outside interference (influence of ICSC/Lead Agency HQ; attempts to avoid “physical” interviews)

Local Salary Surveys in Practice (3)  Salary Survey Phase 3: Data Analysis  Under the responsibility of ICSC (HQ duty stations) or of Salaries Specialist (Field)  Transparency (absence of) is a key …  IN THE FIELD (results should be produced in situ on laptop (special software) allowing for monitoring by staff reps

Local Salary Surveys in Practice (4)  Salary Survey Phase 4: Decision  Decision by ICSC  HQ: Control and debate after,  Field most of it before  Have to be promulgated by individual Agencies

Post Adjustment Reviews  Post Adjustment (PA) reflects country specific part of remuneration  Based on NY pattern of consumption  Reflects prices where officials do shop  Housing is a key factor  Importance of Interagency PA Groups !  How to fill a questionnaire …

 Hardship and mobility factors were introduced recently Hardship and Mobility  Key role of the UN Resident Coordinator for classification of duty station  Cash incentives, and accelerated home leave  Additional incentives, agency-specific  So many factors involved: climate, security, schools, language, culture, isolation …  A key element in remuneration

 Pivotal role of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) System wide coordination  Staff have to unite locally, even if not internationally  Training to achieve the best out of the system  Final word should be local – if well prepared.  Process is not necessarily transparent  World wide mobilization on methodology