From the Staff Committee 2011-2012
(202) 458-6230- Fax (202) 458-3466
May 21, 2012
SN- 52/11-12 Original: English
Support from international organizations’ staff associations
The Staff Committee wishes to inform the staff of the General Secretariat that in response to its request for support sent to the Federation of International Civil Servant Associations (FICSA), the Committee has received, as of May 21, 2012, eighteen letters from the Staff Associations of International Organizations worldwide.
Our sister Associations expressed their strong support to the OAS Staff Association and staff at large in their efforts to obtain timely information on the impact of proposed budgetary cutbacks.
While being fully aware of the difficulties presented to our organizations in the current economic climate, they called upon the Secretariat to make every effort to ensure transparency, fairness and objectivity, stressing that these difficulties should not be used as an excuse to take important decisions about staffing and reorganization without consultation with staff and their representative.
Moreover they called the Secretariat to respect international labor standards, in particular, Article 13 of the ILO Convention on the Termination of Employment which states:
Article 13
1. When the employer contemplates terminations for reasons of an economic, technological, structural or similar nature, the employer shall:
(a) provide the workers' representatives concerned in good time with relevant information including the reasons for the terminations contemplated, the number and categories of workers likely to be affected and the period over which the terminations are intended to be carried out;
(b) give, in accordance with national law and practice, the workers' representatives concerned, as early as possible, an opportunity for consultation on measures to be taken to avert or to minimise the terminations and measures to mitigate the adverse effects of any terminations on the workers concerned such as finding alternative employment.
The Staff Committee appreciates the expressions of support and solidarity from the following staff associations:
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) · Federation of the United Nations Staff Associations (FUNSA) - India · Federation of the United Nations Staff Associations (FUNSA) - Nigeria · Federation of the United Nations Staff Associations (FUNSA) - Pakistan · Federation of the United Nations Staff Associations (FUNSA) - Sao Tomé and Principe · Federation of the United Nations Staff Associations (FUNSA) – Uruguay · Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) · International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) · International Coffee Organization Staff Association (ICOSA) · International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) · International Maritime Organization (IMO) · International Olive Council (IOC) · International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) · Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) · United Nations Logistics Base (UNLB) · United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) - Lebanon · World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) · World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Additionally, the president of FICSA addressed the Secretary General directly and reaffirmed the right of OAS Staff Association to be consulted on all aspects of working life, and requested that the OAS administration abide by the accepted labor standards.