Equal Pay - We have called on the SG to face UNOG staff | Égalité salariale - Nous avons demandé au Secrétaire général de faire face aux fonctionnaires de l’ONUG

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Published on Thursday, 10 October 2019 15:02

We have sent this letter to the Secretary-General asking him to meet with staff and explain his decision to continue paying UN Geneva staff 5.2 percent less than staff of the specialized agencies.

Staff are rightly angry. We are the backbone of the work of the UN here and yet are still paid less than our colleagues at the same grade elsewhere in Geneva. We are motivated by the job we do, but the actions of management in denying us equal pay undermines our goodwill. We seek justice – nothing more, nothing less.

The pay cut imposed on UN Geneva staff has been declared illegal by the judges of the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization (ILOAT).

We believe that the Secretary-General should do the right thing and act swiftly to right this wrong. Instead, we are witnessing a denial of equal pay for Geneva staff.

There might be attempts to link this to the temporary cash shortage that was announced last week. But the pay cut was made in February 2018 on the basis of incorrect calculations and could have been reversed at any point since then.

The Secretary-General has the authority to deliver justice for UN Geneva staff. We look forward to his reply.

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A new staff magazine will replace UN Special from January | Un nouveau magazine remplacera le « UN special » à partir de janvier

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Published on Thursday, 10 October 2019 15:01

We are pleased to inform you that the Staff Council has unanimously decided to replace UN Special (which was produced with WHO) with a new UN-focused staff magazine.

Our new magazine will be fully devoted to your interests and concerns, whether staff activities in the Palais, fighting harassment, equal pay, the renovations, developments in Geneva and the wider world that affect UN staff and reports from our colleagues in the field.

We will of course also invite our colleagues from other international organisations in Geneva to contribute articles of interest to you and our larger family of international civil servants.

Just as you have contributed articles to UN Special, we hope you will continue to do so for our new magazine, of which we will tell you more soon.

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The UN cash flow crisis and its impact on you | La crise des flux de trésorerie de l'ONU et son impact sur vous

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Published on Thursday, 10 October 2019 15:00

You will have seen the letter from the Secretary-General on the current shortage of cash-flow.

This relates to delays by certain member states in paying for budgeted activities to which they had agreed and for which staff have committed time and effort.

We agree with the Secretary-General’s decision to prioritize the payment of salaries – it is the sign of a socially-responsible employer. It is also an opportunity to review certain expenses.

As the Secretary-General outlined in his letter to member states, he has decided to “discontinue events before or after official meeting hours at all headquarters duty stations and during weekends” as well as “postponing conferences and meetings, or seeking ways to reduce related expenses by adjusting services”.

This should also an opportunity for the organisation to reflect on how programmes are executed including the contracting of expensive consultancy firms when expertise exists in-house and the hiring of retirees at the expense of existing paid staff.

At the same time, a temporary cash-flow shortage is not the same as a budget cut. The UN has been through these situations before and in time the cash will return. At that point the UN will be in a position to pay its obligations in full, in certain cases retroactively.

During this period the organisation will expect no less from you in terms of dedication and effort, perhaps even more.

Therefore while the cash-flow crisis may affect the timing of payments, it should not affect what is right and what is wrong.

This is why, as a Staff Council, we will redouble our vigilance to ensure that the situation isn’t abused by managers to undermine the employment security of staff, particularly the most vulnerable.

For the same reason we will continue to advocate for your concerns whether contractual stability, fair and transparent treatment of staff during restructuring exercises, an enabling environment for gender and geographical equality, better parental arrangements, equal leave for temporary staff, better accommodation of disabilities in the workplace, stronger governance at our pension fund and of course equal pay for all staff in Geneva in reversal of the pay cut.

Allow us to take this opportunity to thank you once again for your understanding and support.

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8th meeting of the 37th Council

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Published on Tuesday, 08 October 2019 16:59

The 37th Council will hold its 8th meeting on Friday 11 October 2019, at 1.15 p.m. in Room IX.

Relevant documents can be found here:

- Provisional agenda

- Draft minutes of the 7th meeting

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