Salaries & Allowances Differences between HQ and the Field

1. Salaries & Allowances Differences between HQ and the Field

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

3. 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)

4. 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 organizations shall offer pay that will draw and keep citizens of countries where salaries are highest.”

5. 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

6. 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 !

7. Methodologies on the WEB • ICSC Booklet on Common System Salaries & Allowances: • http://icsc.un.org/resources/pdfs/sal/sabeng03.pdf • Local salary surveysThe full text of the Manual before last revision http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salaries/method.pdf UNDP/GCShttp://gcs.undp.org/(requires registration) • Post-adjustment booklet: http://icsc.un.org/resources/pdfs/pabooklet.pdf • Guide to Mobility & Hardship scheme: http://icsc.un.org/resources/pdfs/pabooklet.pdf

8. “Best prevailing local rates”is not“highest possible rate” Local Salary Surveys • 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

9. Key Actors in the Local Salary Survey Local Salary Surveys: Key Actors • 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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

19. SALARIES: NEVER LET THE OTHERS DECIDE ...