CONDITIONS OF SERVICE IN THE FIELD

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1 Compendium Page 1 CHAPTER 7 CONDITIONS OF SERVICE IN THE FIELD SECTION 7.10 GENERAL REVIEW OF CONDITIONS OF SERVICE IN THE FIELD th session (July): In the context of the review of the UN salary system, ICSC examined the conditions of service in the field. 42 per cent of the staff in the P and higher categories of the common system were employed in "project" conditions, as opposed to service in headquarters offices or in other established offices (regional, area, liaison, etc. offices). These staff members were usually assigned to projects of finite duration, providing assistance to Member States and, for the most part, financed from voluntary sources of funding. They were what is commonly called "field staff". The standard provisions of the common system as regards grading patterns, salary scales and other entitlements applied to them (with only relatively minor variations in some organizations); yet it had always been recognized that their conditions of work and life were in many ways significantly different from those of their colleagues in headquarters or other established offices. Because of the importance to the mission of the UN of the functions they performed, it was essential that the conditions of service be appropriate to attract staff with the special professional qualifications and aptitudes needed [A/31/30, para. 322]. ICSC therefore paid special attention throughout the review to attempting to define in what ways, if any, the existing conditions of service did not fully meet the requirements of field service and what changes could be made to contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the organizations in this major area of their responsibilities. One of the principal difficulties it had encountered in considering selective conditions of service had been that of defining satisfactorily the staff to whom such conditions might apply [A/31/30, para. 323]. ICSC concluded that it should make, at the earliest opportunity, a comprehensive study of the conditions appropriate to field service, as opposed to service in headquarters or other established offices. For that purpose it requested information and proposals from ACC, and in particular from those organizations having the largest field programmes, as well as from the staff; it also sought to inform itself of the views of Governments, both those which benefit from programmes of technical cooperation and those which contribute voluntary funds and themselves operate similar bilateral activities. In the meantime ACC and FICSA were encouraged to present to ICSC as early as possible proposals on the question of adequate and equitable compensation for housing costs in field duty stations. [A/31/30, paras. 327] th session (February/March): ICSC concluded that it should make, at the earliest

2 Compendium Page 2 opportunity, a comprehensive study of the conditions of "field service" [A/32/30, para. 214]. It considered a plan for the study. It requested the organizations and the staff representatives to prepare for ICSC their comments, information and possible proposals in time for its 7th session (early 1978). It would report to the GA and other legislative bodies in 1978 [A/32/30, para. 217] th and 8th sessions (February/March and July): ICSC considered: Rental subsidy for field staff; Study of the role of experts in development assistance called for by the Governing Council of UNDP and which was being prepared by JIU under an arrangement concluded with it by the Administrator of UNDP; and examined selected entitlements of staff posted away from headquarters duty stations i.e. (a) assignment allowance; (b) installation grant; and (c) education grant travel [A/33/30, paras ]. The ICSC decisions can be found in section 3.30, "Assignment allowance", and 4.40 "Installation grant", respectively. ICSC decided to study education grant travel together with home leave at a later stage and meanwhile recommended no change th session (February/March): ICSC approved a plan for making a study of the possibility of establishing criteria by which duty stations could be classified in terms of the conditions of life and work which prevailed in them [A/34/30, para. 170] (for further details, see section 7.20) th session (March): ICSC decided to include the consideration of conditions of service in the field in its future work programme and invited the organizations and the staff to submit specific proposals as regards a possible programme of studies in that area [A/37/30, para. 233]. 16th session (July): ICSC considered a document prepared by its secretariat in which was outlined a possible range of subjects for consideration. This included, inter alia, the possibility of a comprehensive review of allowances, benefits and salary elements paid to field staff, job classification, security of personnel, career development and the problems of mobility [A/37/30, para. 234]. The Chairman referred to his participation in meetings of ACC in which certain executive heads had pressed for immediate action to improve conditions of service of field staff, with particular reference to mobility of staff, as well as to the unanimous decision of ACC to seek improvements in the installation grant and assignment allowance, apart from the separation of the housing element from the post adjustment which would be reviewed separately. The members agreed to increase existing provisions of the installation grant and assignment allowance and to defer consideration of any innovations (such as the payment of pre-departure hotel expenses, extension of the 1982 lump sum to headquarters staff in certain circumstances and approval of a regressive scale for the assignment allowance) until examination of the comprehensive review of field

3 Compendium Page 3 conditions at a future session. ICSC decided to take the following action on the basis of the secretariat's document and CCAQ and FICSA proposals: (a) to increase the lump sum of the installation grant for field staff to $600 for staff members and dependants, subject to a total payment of $2,400 per family, with effect from 1 January 1983 (with financial implications for the common system of $2.8 million per annum); (b) to increase the existing assignment allowance provisions payable to staff at the dependency and single rates by 50 per cent with effect from 1 January 1983 (with financial implications for the whole UN common system of $8.725 million per annum); (c) to approve a programme of field studies as set forth in its secretariat's document for the various categories of staff concerned to be considered at its 18th session on the basis of a report and views to be provided by CCAQ, FICSA and its secretariat, with a progress report to be made at the 17th session; (d) to include the UN Field Service (FS) and FS level staff of other organizations in its programme [A/37/30, para. 242]. In resolution 37/126, the GA noted that ICSC had started a comprehensive review of conditions of service in the field th session (July/August): ICSC considered documentation presented by its secretariat and by FICSA, which contained a detailed review of conditions of service in the field, both within the UN system and in governmental and international organizations involved in field programmes (ICSC/18/R.26 and adds. 1-5). A number of suggestions were made as to possible improvements that would enhance the mobility of field staff [A/38/30, para. 117]. ICSC identified the areas of security and health as meriting priority consideration. It also decided: (a) to expand the terms of reference of the 1983 Tripartite Working Group on the Classification of Duty Stations according to Conditions of Life and Work to include a comprehensive review of duty stations and of the allowances and benefits currently received by staff, based, inter alia, on documentation to be provided by the organizations and FICSA; (b) to request its secretariat, in consultation with CCAQ and staff representatives, to study further the concept of mobility, including a review of the need to introduce or restructure appropriate allowances; (c) to request CCAQ to present proposals to ICSC at its 20th session or report, as appropriate, on action resulting from consideration of storage and shipment of personal effects, employment of spouses, pre-arrival orientation of staff and their families, communications, including pouch services, and access to improved loan facilities for staff in field duty stations, all of which items ICSC considered to fall within the broad purview of inter-agency coordination; (d) to request the UN Secretariat to provide ICSC at its 20th session with a study on the conditions of service of the Field Service category, to include both salary

4 Compendium Page and career-related aspects; (e) to instruct its secretariat to develop further the work on conditions of service in the field and in particular to: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) To consider a possible rationale for selection of "comparators" for future studies, as well as a possible methodology for comparison on a periodic basis; To pay more attention to GS problems, in particular career elements of service, including possible pilot schemes for circulation of vacancy notices; To examine problems relating to the housing difficulties of field staff; To report on progress made in the overall study resulting from the present initiatives [A/38/30, para. 121]. In respect of conditions relating to the security of staff in the field, ICSC noted the progress reported by CCAQ and stressed its continued interest in ensuring the security of the staff. It requested CCAQ to make arrangements for appropriate participation of its secretariat at the inter-agency level in order that it might continue to be kept closely informed of developments [A/38/30, para. 122]. In relation to problems relating to health, ICSC: (a) noted the continued progress made by the medical directors and supported their initiatives, requesting the representatives of executive heads to report at ICSC's 19th session on the arrangements made to ensure efficient financing of dispensaries where needed and on appropriate inter-agency cooperation to assist staff members evacuated on medical grounds and requiring urgent hospitalization or treatment with salary advances or guarantees to hospitals or doctors that their fees would be met in full; (b) requested its secretariat to submit to the 20th session information on the differences in medical schemes affecting GS staff in the field; (c) decided to approve reimbursement by the organizations of the costs of basic medical examinations for accompanying family members of staff assigned to countries where the majority of duty stations are classified as having adverse health conditions, up to a limit of $150 per staff member within a two-year period (with financial implications of $150,000 per annum for the UN system as a whole) [A/38/30, para. 123]. ICSC agreed to the reimbursement of pre-departure expenses for staff departing from non-headquarters duty stations with effect from 1 September 1983 (for further details, see section 7.30). ICSC also requested its secretariat to provide it at its 19th session with up-to-date information on the different groups of duty stations away from headquarters duty stations and on the respective allowances and benefits applying to staff members and their families at those duty stations [A/38/30, para. 125].

5 Compendium Page In resolution 38/232, the GA noted the progress made by ICSC in its review of conditions of service in the field and requested it to keep the GA informed of further developments in its review th session (March): ICSC received and noted with appreciation information provided by CCAQ on medical facilities in the field, including: (a) the expansion of existing dispensary facilities undertaken on the recommendation of the medical directors and subject to the normal arrangements for inter-agency agreement; (b) the institutionalization of the policy of providing services, free of charge, at all dispensaries and similar facilities for staff members and eligible family members, with the exception that vaccinations and inoculations would be supplied free of charge to recognized dependants only in connection with official travel and in emergencies; (c) the use of emergency medical advances, combined with arrangements made by organizations for providing appropriate guarantees to hospitals and doctors regarding the reimbursement of services, with due regard for the provisions of the different health insurance schemes of organizations; (d) the review of subsistence allowance rates for medical evacuation; (e) the cooperative arrangements on medical aspects being explored with non-un agencies at the local level [A/39/30, para. 204] st and 22nd sessions (March and July): ICSC continued its study of a broad range of issues relating to conditions of service in the field. At the 21st session, it received reports from the organizations on a number of issues, which included, inter alia, problems of communications, employment opportunities for spouses and shipment of personal effects. At the 22nd session, ICSC considered three main issues: the uniform application of allowances and benefits at field locations, the pre-departure allowance and the conditions of service faced by staff in Lebanon [A/40/30, para. 192]. ICSC welcomed and noted the initiatives taken by the organizations to improve conditions of service in the field. It also noted the organizations' attempts to achieve a greater degree of uniformity in implementation of allowances and benefits at the field level [A/40/30, para. 198] th session (July): ICSC reviewed documents received from CCAQ, FICSA, CCISUA and its secretariat on the determination of benefits of staff in the P and higher categories in the field, the assignment allowance and the classification of duty stations according to conditions of life and work. It noted that CCAQ would be reviewing the assignment allowance in the context of its study on mobility of staff, the results of which would be referred to ICSC in 1987, and that a tripartite working group consisting of representatives of CCAQ, the staff and its own secretariat, would also be reporting back to it in 1987 following its review of the classification of duty stations scheme. ICSC decided to take up those matters again in 1987 in the light of those reports and further documentation provided by its secretariat [A/41/30, para. 153].

6 Compendium Page th session (July): ICSC examined documentation regarding conditions of service in the field of the P and higher categories submitted by its secretariat. A brief summary of the action taken by ICSC since its early days in this regard was also provided. ICSC was informed that, in spite of the improvements in the overall remuneration package for field staff introduced by ICSC over the years, the administrations of the organizations with staff in the field were experiencing serious problems in the recruitment and retention of staff, especially in recent months. During the consideration of this matter, the Associate Administrator of UNDP addressed ICSC. He stated that a very serious state of affairs existed in the field and the organizations were facing a situation of crisis proportions that was threatening the positive efforts of ICSC and, indeed, to undermine the vital work of all UN organizations in the field. In the light of the difficulties faced by the organizations, ACC and the UN/SG had placed particular emphasis on the conditions of service in the field [A/42/30, paras. 182 and 184]. ICSC recommended several improvements in regard to negative and low post adjustment. It decided on improvements in rental subsidy and assignment allowance including the introduction of a mobility element; increases in financial incentive levels for hardship duty stations and accelerated home leave entitlements in cases of temporary housing shortages. ICSC's decisions on these issues are recorded in sections , , 3.30 and 7.20 respectively th session (July): With regard to the reimbursement of medical examinations, ICSC decided that: (a) the maximum amount of reimbursement for eligible dependents would be set at 75 per cent of that for staff members and procedures for future adjustments would therefore follow those for the adjustment of the basic amount for staff members; (b) with effect from 1 September 1988, this amount would be payable for each eligible dependant, once within a two-year period or on the occasion of reassignment to a designated duty station, whichever came sooner [A/43/30, para. 86] In the context of the comprehensive review of conditions of service of the P and higher categories (see section ) ICSC recommended to the GA a new mobility and hardship scheme which subsumed inter alia the provisions for reimbursement of pre-departure expenses and time off for medical and dental checkups. By resolution 44/198, the GA approved the ICSC recommendations with effect from 1 July The above-referenced entitlements were thus discontinued as of that date.

CLASSIFICATION OF DUTY STATIONS ACCORDING TO CONDITIONS OF LIFE AND WORK

Compendium Page 1 SECTION 7.20 CLASSIFICATION OF DUTY STATIONS ACCORDING TO CONDITIONS OF LIFE AND WORK 1979 9th session (February/March): ICSC declared its concern that the conditions of service offered