ILO STAFF UNION

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SU/AGM/2014/1/D.2 20 February 2014

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING FIRST SESSION

27 February 2014

Programme and Strategy of the Staff Union for the year 2014

The first session of the Annual General Meeting will be requested to examine the attached proposal as per article 14(b) of the Staff Union Rules.

The attached Programme and Strategy of the Staff Union for 2014 will be open for discussion, modification and adoption.

Programme and Strategy of the Staff Union for the year 2014

Introduction

"ONE ILO": THE STAFF UNION'S CAMPAIGN IS AS RELEVANT AS EVER

The Staff Union Committee is pleased to present its Programme and Strategy for the year 2014.

The past year has been hard going in more ways than one for the staff of the ILO.

The fact is that the Director-General's reforms have been felt first and foremost by those who have had to implement them, in other words the staff. Throughout the past year ILO officials have had to cope with one upheaval after another as the whole structure of the ILO has been reorganized, without losing sight of the strategic objectives that they had already been assigned, on top of which they have been asked to work together better and more cohesively in terms of a set of Areas of Critical Importance (ACI). As one would expect, the staff have of course shown their professional commitment to the Organization by buckling to and putting all their weight behind the Director-General so that the objectives and activities that he has promised the constituents can be delivered on schedule. As for the Staff Union Committee, it has made every effort to ensure that the reforms sought by the Director-General take fully into account the staff's aspirations and concerns and that the extra burden they entail can actually have positive repercussions for them as well.

Though so far the initial impact of the structural reorganization has hardly been felt at

headquarters, the ground-work has been more or less laid. The ongoing dialogue with the Administration, which the staff's representatives insisted on from the start, eventually came about, and it has quite definitely done much to minimize the disruption felt by those directly affected by the reform process. That said, an objective and constructive assessment will still need to be made at the end, and we are still only halfway there. In the field the reform is still very much a work in progress, and as we write our colleagues in their external duty stations are still waiting for information and for decisions on which their very future will hang.

As it has done at headquarters, and because it is implicit in its mandate, the Staff Union

Committee will insist on its representatives in the field being directly involved in any discussions that they realize could have repercussions on the staff's conditions of work and employment. In the second half of 2013 the Director-General promised to reform the whole human resources (HR) system, a huge undertaking in which, let us not forget, the Committee took the lead at its first General Meeting by issuing a sovereign, democratic and forward-looking statement on the real priorities for the staff and by launching its "ONE ILO" campaign. Throughout the year the Committee used this campaign to advocate strongly in favour of the decompartmentalization of the various categories of personnel, the greater employment security that this would bring, a career development based on equitable, fair and transparent criteria, proper recognition of work accomplished by staff members and greater security and occupational safety and health, all in the interests of an efficient and effective system of labour relations.

We have already seen some of the positive results of this campaign, and the Staff Union officially informed the General Meeting at its second session of instances here and there where

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progress has been made. But there is still much to be done and it is important that the Staff Union maintain the course it set in 2013 until such time as all its stated objectives have been achieved. The truth of the matter is that most of the improvements that we are endeavouring to introduce stem from problems that over the years have culminated in the discrimination and unequal treatment that we see today. The "ONE ILO" 's campaign goal is to correct those inequalities, and that is why the Staff Union Committee proposes that we maintain the broad objectives that we undertook to pursue in 2013, until the very concept of "ONE ILO" becomes a reality.

SECTION 1 – Priority areas for action

True to its strategy of setting a limited number of priorities so that the Staff Union can more easily defend them and thus pursue its objective of getting genuine results, the Staff Union Committee proposes that we maintain the four main themes, each of which is highlighted in the “ONE ILO” campaign we launched in 2013. The priority areas, which are outlined below in “checklist” form, include a number of key outcomes that could lead to the eventual achievement of the four objectives. Each issue is addressed under the relevant technical item in the Staff Union's Programme and Strategy. OBJECTIVE 1 – BUILDING “ONE ILO”: Ending precarious work, promoting partnership and ensuring equal treatment among staff The main problems to be addressed under this objective include: fundamental differences in the way staff are treated, according to the category they belong to, the source of funding of their contract, their expatriate status or duty station (including the Turin Centre); the existence and increase in precarious employment; and equal pay for work of equal value.

Active pursuit of negotiations on the revision of the ILO's contractual framework,

including an improved definition of the employment relationship and of the relevant procedures, in line with the ILO's international labour standards, with a view to eradicating precarious work. Ensuring “that all inappropriate contract usage in the ILO be eliminated once and for all.”1

Inclusion in all future discussions and negotiations of the findings of the comprehensive strategic review of technical cooperation conducted at the end of 2013, including the conditions of employment and work of technical cooperation project staff, as well as staff recruited under RBSA, “I account” and PSI funds, so as to identify sustainable solutions, tighten controls, increase transparency and reduce arbitrary decisions in distributing and managing funds, while moving toward more equal treatment of staff recruited under these circumstances.

Negotiation of ways and means of dealing with redundancies (redeployment, severance pay), especially collective dismissals in cases of downsizing and including cuts in locally recruited field staff.

1 Circular Series 6, No. 630.

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Urgent renegotiation of generic job descriptions, followed by an objective, transparent, fair and participatory review of the classification of staff positions, beginning with locally recruited field staff.

OBJECTIVE 2 – A TRANSPARENT, MERIT-BASED ILO, AND A COMMITMENT TO STAFF: Promoting a “fair deal” with the staff, building motivation, confidence and trust

While noting the progress in introducing “interim procedures” for recruitment and selection and the improvements introduced by the Administration in the management of performance, there are still serious questions about the system's fairness and transparency, notably regarding: the ineffectiveness of the whistle-blowing/ethics system, which the staff are afraid to use; the shortcomings in the Office’s handling of cases of harassment; concerns over the management of staff development resources; and the very real and growing problem of “double-dipping” in the Office.

Application of the collective agreement on a procedure for recruitment and selection, including the mobility policy, and introduction of equitable incentives to increase staff mobility (to be negotiated).

Review and revision of ethics and whistle-blower policies so as to protect staff members who denounce abusive practices, following a broad, participatory and public consultation.

Pursuit of negotiations on a new and transparent policy governing extensions beyond the mandatory age of separation which is implemented equitably and which takes into account the latest developments in the Common System; the objective is to make sure that a possibility exists for staff members, at their discretion and based on established criteria, to make up their years of contribution so as to have a decent minimum pension on retirement, as well as to establish effective safeguards regarding the recruitment of former officials.

Continued active advocacy of a transparent system of communication within the ILO; publication of key information on the ILO's website concerning: the staff list; waivers of competitive bidding; external collaboration contracts above $10,000, or exceeding $2,500/day; utilization of short-term contracts; training fund expenditures particularly for central training funds: missions; extensions beyond the mandatory age of separation; re-engagement of former officials; full IAO reports; and “management letters” from the External Auditor.2

OBJECTIVE 3 – A SAFE AND HEALTHY ILO: Raising the profile of security, safety and health of staff

While the ILO places great value on occupational safety and health for its constituents, the Office has still not demonstrated the same commitment for its own staff, or at best has done so very unequally. Though the Staff Union notes with satisfaction that there has been some progress, much remains to be done in terms of: discriminatory treatment between technical cooperation and Regular Budget staff in terms of physical security,3 and between

2 This has been done in other international organizations (UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS and UNICEF) very recently, and

would represent – for the staff, the Governing and the world (taxpayers) at large – an important step for more transparent governance. See, for example, http://audit-public-disclosure.undp.org/. 3 http://www.ilostaffunion.org/new/wp-content/uploads/1459-ang-logo-2.pdf.

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international and locally recruited staff in terms of safety and health in the field and the implementation of the ILO's OSH policy; the adoption of sustainable measures to address work-related stress; the impact of the renovation of the headquarters building on working conditions; and, last but certainly not least, our Staff Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).

Making the review of the SHIF a matter of priority, with the following objectives: improved reimbursement; improved benefits, which have been at the same level for at least five years; updating the IT system; increased transparency in governance; greater independence of the Fund; better access to information; and, above all, giving the participants' representatives on the Management Committee the support they need to be directly involved in the crucial decisions that are to come, as required by the Fund's Regulations.

Establishment of an anti-harassment policy based on ILO expertise and on best practices; the policy should be able to initiate a rapid and objective investigation based on actual facts, so that the ILO can once again play a leading role in the UN Common System.

Continued implementation of an occupational safety and health policy within the Office by establishing new management and training measures especially for addressing work-related stress and the impact of the renovation work at headquarters.

Pursuit of negotiations on differences in conditions of employment and work at headquarters and in the field, especially in terms of security.

OBJECTIVE 4 – REFORM THROUGH SOCIAL DIALOGUE: Rebuilding trust and putting in place proper industrial relations procedures

The Staff Union Committee again notes the lack of any real system of labour relations or

of modern practices in this area, which has led to numerous disputes that have sometimes resulted in industrial action. Even though there has been some genuine progress in 2013 and much has been done to build a degree of trust between the two parties, there are not yet any effective ways and means of guaranteeing healthy, long-term labour relations. This objective seeks to address: the search for a dialogue in good faith for developing and implementing policy; the lack of clarity over what is negotiable and what is not; and the lack of any mechanism for deciding what happens when agreement cannot be reached or where one of the parties fails to act in good faith.

Introduction of a system of mediation, conciliation or arbitration for collective

disputes, in line with Article 5 of the Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154), and Article 8 of the Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1975 (No. 151); detailed information on such a system can be found in the paper referred to above (pp. 8-10).

Pursuit of the review of a comprehensive collective bargaining framework, including the possible reintroduction of a neutral, independent chair for the Joint Negotiating Committee and considering all other areas where proper industrial relations procedures can be put in place.

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SECTION 2 – Regular and Recurring Work I. Addressing Concerns of Staff Based Outside of Headquarters Objective: A system/mechanism for regular sharing of information and experiences between SU representatives of the regions and headquarters is established and applied with the aim to improve transparency in the manner in which the issues considered as priorities by the regions are dealt with, in particular in the framework of the current field structure review; assist in preparations for the Regional SU meetings through sharing of information amongst and between the regions.

The Issues of common concern: Common priorities identified in consultation with the titular and substitute members from the regions for 2014, were centred on the need to improve information sharing and coordination among the respective regions and headquarters in relation to the ongoing Field Structure Review; recruitment and selection processes; the classification of posts in the field; and security in the field (from the point of view of harassment as well as physical and health security).

Means of action: A new system of periodic (monthly) discussions via skype with all regional representatives has been instituted. With respect to the recruitment and selection process, experiences will be shared on how the processes are implemented in each office (at country, regional and headquarters level). The purpose is to identify the good practices while highlighting the irregularities in terms of SU participation in recruitment and selection processes. Information from HQ will be systematically shared with the field representatives not only through traditional means such as email but also plone/website, skype etc. Similarly with respect to the field structure review, information will be gathered and shared with the regions.

Information will be shared through this mechanism on the preparations for Regional SU meetings.

II. Recruitment and Selection Objective: Signature of a new collective agreement on recruitment, mobility and selection.

Means of action: Since November 2010, when the staff mobilized to demand a more objective, equitable and transparent recruitment and selection system, the Staff Union has been representing the staff in a series of bargaining and mediation sessions on a revised collective agreement. In the framework of the reform of the ILO HR policy under the new Director-General, a series of intensive retreats with the Administration have served to advance considerably in this area. The parties are close to the finalization of an agreement which improves on the previous recruitment and selection procedures and builds on the interim arrangements in place since 2012.

III. Work-Life Balance and Gender Equality Objectives:

Equality (initiating work on harassment and disability).

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LGBT (follow-up on the work done in 2013 including the LGBT survey and its recommendations).

Maternity protection and breastfeeding (following up on the work done in 2013 and continuing discussions with management on the draft collective agreement on maternity protection).

An ILO-based creche (following up on the work done in 2013 including undertaking an analysis of the creche survey along with other necessary information to be discussed/presented to management with the vision to establish an ILO-based creche).

Working time arrangements (follow-up on the drafted part-time work policy as well as discussions on compressed work-week arrangements).

IV. Titularization and Personal Promotions The Staff Union is determined that the two processes should remain a permanent feature of the Organization because, failing any better system, they are today the only way to guarantee the staff's career development and long-term security in employment. As with the merit increment exercise, Personal Promotions were deliberately designed to respond to the ILO’s unique structure, whereby many locally-recruited staff, in particular in field offices, have limited opportunities for promotion. The recognition afforded by merit increments and personal promotions are valued by the staff, and while improvements can be made regarding the procedures for awarding them and for extending them to TC staff, the Union will ensure that the policies themselves continue to serve the purpose for which they were intended. As a member of the two joint bodies, the Staff Union will do everything to ensure that the machinery that is eventually introduced is even more transparent and equitable. It will push for clarification regarding the eligibility of PSI staff (who are being unlawfully excluded from the exercise), colleagues in the Tribunal, former precarious colleagues, and all others who, according to the applicable rules and GB decisions should be eligible. It is time the "ONE ILO" slogan was applied in practice. V. Staff Safety and Health and Well-being Objective: A network of union representatives equipped with the means to defend the rights of staff concerning safety and health and well-being in the ILO. Means of action: Safety and health at work:

Actively promote the publication of the IGDS Procedure that complements the OSH Policy adopted in July 2012 and its implementation so as to facilitate the functioning of the Joint Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) and the mechanisms for the implementation of the policy at field level.

Adoption of a plan of regular sessions for 2014 and active participation therein.

Support the appointment of union OSH representatives in field offices and promote the establishment of OSH joint committees in ILO offices by October 2014. Develop user-friendly guidance for OSH representatives on how to fulfil their OSH duties, including

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simple risk assessments, walk-through surveys and the implementation of practical solutions in collaboration with management.

Well-being at work:

Continue dialogue with the Administration in the framework of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) to identify and raise awareness of the causes of stress in the ILO and develop a collective approach to address work-related stress.

Promote technical guidance in cooperation with HRD, to enable units and offices to identify the causes of stress in their particular working environment and develop effective measures to prevent them.

Building renovation: Ensure a staff voice in the Steering Committee on the Building Renovation so that the highest standards on staff safety and health and well-being apply during the renovation of the building at HQ, in consultation with Union representatives, Union stewards and focal points. Ensuring that staff is kept informed of developments through communications and/or information sessions.

VI. Social Security

As in recent years, we will ensure that the policies adopted by the SHIF Management Committee and the UN Joint Staff Pension Board reflect the needs and interests of all concerned, including active staff and former officials, through:

Increasing staff awareness on health insurance and pension matters with a view to reinforcing staff representation in joint bodies. This will be achieved through regular and close communications between the Staff Union, including the Former Officials’ Section, and the participants’ representatives in the SHIF Management Committee and the UNJSPB, as well as through training sessions;

Encouraging and organizing information sessions, general assemblies or referenda to ensure that any proposed changes to the structure, programme, contribution rates or benefits of either system are clearly and fully explained to the participants, and that any decisions taken are informed by genuine consultations.

Health Insurance

The SHIF will no doubt see important changes in 2014. The Staff Union has undertaken various actions (resolutions, petitions, letters to the Director-General and the SHIF Management Committee) in late 2013 and early 2014 to ensure that any changes are not introduced without genuine involvement of the staff representatives. Following the resolution adopted in its General Assembly of November 2013, the Staff Union launched a petition to ensure that a General Assembly of the SHIF takes place in February 2014, almost three years after the last one was held and despite the repeated postponements of this Assembly by the SHIF Management Committee. The Staff Union has also made written requests to the Director-General and the SHIF Management Committee to ensure involvement by the representatives of insured persons in the negotiations under way between the Administrations of the ILO and the ITU concerning the future of their collaboration in the Fund. Through the SHIF General Assembly of February 2014 and continuing struggle we expect the following results in 2014:

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o An improved/new governance of the fund to be developed. o Clarification in the relations between the ILO and the ITU. o Maintaining the contribution rates at the current level. o Improving the services offered and especially the speed of claims settlements. o Increasing the benefits and notably the many “ceilings” that have not changed

since many years. Pension Fund

We expect that the ongoing negotiations with the Administration on the mandatory age of separation (for all existing staff including TC), the re-employment of former officials and “double dipping”, will be concluded at the beginning of 2014.

In addition to participating in different committees and Boards, the main focus this year will be to counter the attacks against the Fund and its participants through a attempts to reduce benefits or bifurcate funds.

VII. Training Policy Objective: To ensure that staff concerns are taken into account in the ILO training policy and in the performance management system of the ILO, and that career development policies are reintroduced and implemented in a fair and transparent manner. Specific objectives for the training policy:

Update the terms of reference for the Joint Training Council, in light of the changes implemented in the training policy since the Collective Agreement on Personal Development Plans was signed.

Request the Office to convene regular meetings of the Joint Training Council (at least once a year).

Review the performance of the Staff Development Fund and the expenditure of the central training credits.

Negotiate a training policy in line with the needs of staff.

Strengthen mechanisms for the Staff Union to be consulted on the use of Staff Development Funds, regularly evaluating the impact of training expenditure, and promoting feedback from staff regarding implementation and assessing how proposed training programmes satisfy staff members’ needs and requests;

Specific objectives for performance management:

Have a clear feedback from staff regarding the implementation of the performance management system and assessing how the introduction of a new system has responded to the needs of staff.

Negotiate changes that have been suggested as a result of a broad consultation process with the staff.

Negotiate specific measures and a new procedure for staff working under TC programmes.

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VIII. Support to ILO Staff in Conflict Prevention and Resolution Objective: Enhancing transparency and coherence in Office procedures including those concerning recruitment and selection. Transparency in times of reform is essential in order to handle stress, enhance confidence in Office procedures and practices and minimize conflict within the Office.

This will be accomplished through:

Action to adopt a negotiated procedure on harassment. The on-going provision of legal advice to the SUC and individual staff members, in headquarters and in the field, on the application and interpretation of the Staff Regulations, collective agreements and IGDSs, as well as policies and procedures in force. In particular, the unit will continue to provide legal support in the framework of negotiations carried out with the Administration in order to address issues of particular interest to the staff, like industrial relations recruitment and selection, job grade review in the field, precarious contracts, harassment policy, working time, rewards and recognition and maternity protection in the Office, etc.

Technical backup in relation to SUC activities vis-à-vis dispute resolution bodies like the mediator, the Review Panel, the JAAB and the TAOIT. Among other things, the unit will provide technical assistance in the formulation of grievances to be presented to the dispute resolution bodies with the support of the Staff Union. It will also continue to advise individual staff on options for conflict prevention and resolution, upon request, in the framework of individual cases.

Information sessions, on legal matters, including the possibility of carrying out an international symposium on “Improving Administration of Justice within the UN Common System”. These measures, among others, will improve communication with staff.

IX. Interns 1. Identify an appropriate methodology for regularly calculating adjustments to the

stipend in order to reflect adequately the financial needs of interns working in the IL0 system, with the intention of presenting the methodology to the Joint Negotiating Committee. As an addition to a regular review of the stipend, make a commitment to explore the Solidarity Fund to target underrepresented countries as a means to improve the inclusivity of the internship programme.

2. Continue to support interns’ other objectives for improving the ILO internship programme: formal mid- and end-of-term appraisal of interns by supervisors, create an ILO Labour Standard on Internships, so that adequate working conditions of interns will be upheld during the refurbishment process.

3. With renewed vigour, support collective actions by interns in UN System Organizations based in Geneva through support to and collaboration with the Geneva Interns Association (GIA).

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X. IRIS 1. To be attentive to the IRIS roll-out in ILO field offices, and ensure that this change does

not result in any deteriorations in working conditions of employees. 2. In this framework, the Union will continue to participate as observer in all reviews of

business processes resulting from the IRIS implementation. It remains also a focal point in case of some potential difficulties faced by staff during this phase of implementation.

XI. Environmental Issues Objective: An ILO environmental policy that reflects the needs and concerns of staff, especially in relation to occupational safety and health, the building renovation at HQ and similar initiatives in the field and the “greening” of the ILO, through: 1. Active participation in the implementation of the results of the ILO Environmental Audit

and in the activities of the “Greening the ILO” Task Force. 2. Promoting an active coordination between environmental initiatives in the ILO, the

work of the Committee on Occupational Safety and health (COSH) and the Steering Committee and Project Team for the HQ building renovation.

3. Raising in-house awareness of environmental initiatives and supporting staff representatives involved in the implementation of the recommendations from environmental audits undertaken in some field offices in 2013.

4. Participating in the World Environment Day on the 5th of June 2014. XII. Staff security

The Staff Union is convinced that the security of ILO staff must be ensured without discrimination based on grade, type of contract, or its source of funding. Much progress has been made since the adoption of a motion on the right to physical security of all staff (second session of the Staff Union AGM in 2012), but we need to be more vigilant to further mainstream security in all offices, with special consideration to auxiliary project offices.

For the period ahead, the Staff Union will continue to raise staff concerns and influence

security policy at the ILO, including in the regions, and at the inter-agency level through:

Extending the “One-ILO” campaign on security by monitoring and reporting on issues related to discrimination between international and national staff as regards security and evacuation policies, including entitlements and allowances linked to high-risk duty stations.

Continuing with the active participation, through our international Federation, CCISUA and other international Federations, in all inter-agency security policy discussions, including the UN Security Management System Network, and the HLCM High-Level Steering Committee on Safety and Security;

Continuing to collaborate with SERVSEC in its security training for managers and staff, and organising information sessions with SERVSEC for union stewards and staff representatives in the field; and

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Developing checklists for security in the guidance developed for union safety representatives, including for project offices, taking into consideration already existing guidelines within the UN system.

XIII. Technical cooperation Objectives: 1. Ensure the voice of staff working with TC programmes is heard, within Contracts Policy

and other HR policy issues negotiated between the Staff Union and the Administration. 2. Promote awareness among staff working with TC programmes of developments

regarding the negotiations underway with the Administration on a new contract policy, as a means to demonstrate that the Union is visible and relevant to their concerns.

Specific activities will include:

Updating staff working with TC programmes on the ongoing negotiations with the Administration on a new Contracts Policy, via periodic field consultations and information sharing, where appropriate.

Finalizing the results of the joint Staff Union/HRD survey and issue a communication that outlines the key findings of the survey.

In cooperation with Union Stewards and the working group on recruitment and selection, identify key opportunities for outreach to non-unionized staff working with TC programmes, in the field and HQ.

Providing equal access to TC staff for training and staff development, in order to strengthen their capacity to contribute to the strategic priorities of the Office.

XIV. Precarious contracts 1. Ensure that the voice of staff working under precarious contracts is heard, within the

Contracts Policy and other HR policy issues negotiated between the Staff Union and the Administration.

2. Get a better understanding of the situation and realities of staff under precarious

contracts, to be able to provide relevant inputs in the negotiation of new contracts policies and promote a regularization exercise to address current cases of precarious work.

Specific activities will include:

Formulating inputs in a timely manner to inform the negotiations with the Administration on Contracts Policy so as to ensure that this policy is in conformity with the principles of transparency and the international civil service, and that the interests of staff are effectively defended in this framework.

Using the results of the quick survey on precarious work conducted at the end of 2013 by the Staff Union, perform an analysis and communicate with field

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representatives and Union Stewards to get a clearer picture on the situation of staff under precarious contracts.

SECTION 3 – Staff Union Means of Action I. Communication Objective: Increase communication with staff on both current issues and progress the Staff Union has made, in close coordination with the thematic working groups. Communications in 2014 will focus on:

Using creative and inclusive channels of communication.

Regular updates to staff via the website, social media and other mediums.

New marketing materials for various campaigns, including member recruitment. II. Membership, representation and training Objective: At least 100 new members in 2014 and a strengthened network of union stewards. This will be accomplished through:

Updating a mapping exercise to identify gaps in membership as a basis for a recruitment campaign. This will include, in collaboration with the working group on Technical Cooperation and staff representatives in the field integrating the results of the TC survey in a mapping exercise aimed at recruiting more TC staff as members.

Systematic contact with new officials, face-to-face and through the induction training, as well as a time-bound campaign with a reward system for recruitment of new members.

A review of the present union stewards’ constituencies. As a result of last year’s restructuring at HQ a renewed campaign to recruit more stewards is needed.

“Café-croissants” sessions to meet with staff in the different constituencies to recruit new members and stewards, identify topics of interest and get feedback.

Re-motivation of the stewards’ network through thematic meetings of priority interest and concern (for example: needs of staff in the reform process, building renovation, informal conflict resolution, new opportunities for participation in safety and health at work).

Development of user-friendly materials to help stewards in their duties, including updating of the Staff Representatives’ Training Manual and guidance and training for the new union OSH representatives and/or stewards with new OSH duties.

Develop a capacity-building programme for union stewards on union organizing and representation duties.

III. Use of Financial Resources

In the interest of maximizing transparency in the use of financial resources, this year the SU will:

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1. Review the control and monitoring of all financial transactions. 2. Continue discussions with the Administration with a view to the establishment of bank

accounts in duty stations where local fees are retained. IV. Promoting Solidarity and Representing Staff across the Common System In keeping with the Staff Union Rules and the Resolution Concerning the impact of UN Reform on the International Civil Service adopted at the second session of the 2007 Annual General Meeting, the Union will continue to actively support the work of our International Federation, CCISUA, endeavouring to: 1. Engage in concerted actions with staff unions and associations, as well as with the

Federations, and our Global Union, Public Services International, to protect and advance the rights and interests of ILO staff and international civil servants;

2. Represent the staff at interagency bodies and various Working Groups and Steering Committees, bringing to bear the technical expertise of ILO staff in terms of salaries, occupational safety and health, labour law and labour relations, and social protection.

As the ICSC has embarked on a comprehensive review of the common system compensation package,4 with potentially damaging repercussions for the staff, the Union will continue to play an active role in the review. It will work within CCISUA, and between CCISUA and FICSA, to develop common strategies and approaches. We will rely on the technical competencies of our own members as concerns social protection and family benefits, wages, and working conditions, in order to argue for improvements – and fight against reductions in our current conditions of service. As it did with the worrying developments in the United Nations General Assembly, the Union will also keep the staff regularly informed of progress and the implications the review will have.

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4 http://icsc.un.org/compensation/