From 31 October through 2 November, the ICTY/MICT Staff Union, represented by its President, Fraser Mcilwraith, and a member of the Staff Union Committee, Ljubomir Vukosavlevic, participated together with 14 other staff unions from across the system in CCISUA mid-term meeting, held in New York.
The mid-term had a full agenda, comprising several meetings with UN’s leadership, including Secretary-General António Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Assistant Secretary General Marta Helena Lopez (Office of Human Resources Management), Head of the UN’s Ombudsman’s office John Barkat, and others.
The three-day meeting, organized by our federation, the Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA) also included a presentation of a donation by CCISUA to the UN memorial fund, which helps children of staff killed in the line of duty. Another highlight was the signing of a memorandum of understanding with UN Globe to better integrate the concerns of LGBTI staff in UN decision-making.
Discussions with management resulted in a number of key takeaways for staff.
On conditions of service:
A commitment by the Secretary-General to better consult on management reforms and draw up a roadmap to clearly show how the reforms will be developed and implemented.
A review of maternity cover, and the lack thereof, in consultancy and temporary contracts.
A commitment to share the calculations behind the targets in the Secretary-General’s gender parity strategy.
A commitment to study whether a gender pay gap exists in consultancy contracts, which covers a third of the UN workforce, and where fees are individually negotiated.
A plan to review how post adjustment is determined.
A study on whether the online tests used in mobility are gender and culturally neutral.
A plan to improve and harmonise staff-management consultations outside New York.
On safety and security:
A commitment to prioritise staff safety and ensure no permanent use of outsourced security staff.
Discussions also focused on harassment including sexual harassment, the UN Dispute Tribunal system, ongoing difficulties at the pension fund, and proposals to prevent job losses with administrative reform.
Meetings were also held with the heads of the Office of the Administration of Justice (AoJ), the Office of Staff Legal Assistance (OSLA) and the Ethics Office as well as with the ICSC.
Further to this, member states were lobbied on behalf of staff on a number of issues, including the Global Service Delivery Model, the pension fund, hot-desking and pay cuts being affected for professional and locally recruited staff world-wide.
One-on-one meetings were held with the head of AoJ and the ASG, OHRM, and with the President of UN Globe on MICT/ICTY related matters.