2006-2007 STAFF COMMITTEE
ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER - DECEMBER
The following document is
a summary of the topics addressed in the meetings of the Committee of the
Staff Association of 2006-2007, between the months of October and December
of 2006. The topics appear in the order in which they were considered.
During this time period, some subjects of general interest had already been
distributed as Staff News and thus may not appear in this summary.
Hiring
and Lateral Transfers
The Committee has
considered the preoccupation of some colleagues over the large number of
people who have been hired by the General Secretariat in the past year.
Likewise, it is of the Committee’s concern that there is no updated
Personnel Registry, which violates the General Standards requirements. It
is understood that the Personnel Registry should be renewed every
trimester. It has become known that there are new appointments whose posts
are not at the first step, as occurs with the rest of the hired personnel
who should wait one year to move to the next step after having a good
evaluation. The former is based on the “Rule 103.3 Initial Salary
(a) A staff member on initial appointment shall be placed in the first step
of the grade of his post; however, the Secretary General may authorize an
initial appointment to a higher step in the post if he considers that the
staff member's experience and other qualifications for the duties and
responsibilities attaching to the post justify a higher salary and it is
necessary to maintain the income level that the staff member enjoyed in his
immediately prior employment. The staff member must provide such
documentation verifying his experience, qualifications, and salary and
benefit levels at his prior employment as the Department of Human Resource
Services requires” of the Staff Rules. Furthermore, it would be necessary to
have access to a list of vacancies for those employees that are considering
a transfer. The Committee would like to advice to those staff members that
do not have an updated terms of reference do request it, by writing, to his
or hers immediate supervisor.
Intranet
The president commented
that a new system of Intranet exists and that it is being evaluated by
personnel of the General Secretariat. Effectively, the new Intranet, OAS
Connect, has been sent to the Webmasters and the new format appears to
operate more effectively. The Administration has launched an updated
version of Intranet prior to the printing of this edition.
Nursery
The Committee has named
Ms. María Teresa Mellenkamp as the coordinator of the Subcommittee and has
put the rest of the group under the control of Ms. Lina Sevillano, Mr.
Fernando Lopez, Ms. Ana Maria Lemos and Ms. Alison August-Treppel. The
President stated that Mr. Sergio Martinez would represent the General
Secretary in subjects related to the Nursery. For this reason, Mr. Martinez
has solicited more information about the costs. In agreement with the
reports presented by the Association, the space will accommodate 20 children
and the total initial investment is $900,000 dollars. The Nursery will be
administrated by a private company.
The Committee took note of the memorandum entitled, “Topics and
Considerations with Respect to the Opening and Operation of a Child Care
Center in OEA Properties,” prepared by the Department of Legal Services and
sent by its Director, Mr. Louis Ferrand, on September 1, 2006 to the
Assistant Secretary General.
It is general knowledge that the administrative building is property of the
government of the United States and as such, it is for the exclusive use of
the General Secretariat of the OAS. If a company independent from the OAS
administers the Nursery, generating income, it could lose sight of the goals
of the General Secretariat, considering furthermore that it plans to extend
these services to the children of World Bank personnel. The Staff
Association, to be able to continue with this project, will have to sign an
Agreement with the General Secretariat so that it will be the Association
that is in charge of hiring the company and the corresponding insurance.
For more information over the achievements of this Subcommittee, see Staff
News 32.
Renewal of contributions
The Committee has noted
the study prepared by Mr. Fernando Lopez addressing the topic of the
contributions of the personnel to the Personnel Association and has decided
to continue with the campaign of attracting new members and of renewing the
contributing personnel. Although an agreement exists between the
Association and the contributing personnel enabling the increase to occur
automatically, it has not been successful. First, starting in January 2007,
the Committee decided to renew the contributors that had signed their
contract with the Association. Second, a new form will be sent for the
employees that don’t contribute, accompanied with an informative pamphlet
about the benefits that the Association offers to its contributing members.
This second campaign will be coordinated through the cadres.
Meeting with the “Cadres”
The Committee held a
meeting with the Cadres to create the working plan for this year and to
exchange ideas with respect to the dissemination of information to the rest
of the personnel. Everyone agreed to collaborate and reiterated their
commitment to support the Committee. Until now, the Cadres have
collaborated with the survey and have distributed fliers to remind our
colleagues of the General Secretary’s policy with respect to the prohibition
of smoking in the workplace and its health-related consequences.
Meeting with the Department of Human Resources (HRD)
The topics considered
during the meeting were:
Personnel Regulations.
The working group met to
discuss and propose changes to the Personnel Regulations. This group
consisted of individuals specializing in various areas of the General
Secretariat. The final report from this group will be prepared with the
participation of the Department of Legal Services and the Staff Association.
Culmination of university studies.
Ms. Lina Sevillano
presented a report addressing the opportunities that are offered to
employees for completing their university studies. In this program three
institutions are considered. It was recommended to analyze two additional
institutions. Also, a final report was requested for the Administration.
Likewise, with the Leo S. Rowe Fund is being used to obtain lower rates for
student loans for employees.
Personnel evaluation.
The Department of Human Resources (HRD) is working on a draft of an
evaluation form, taking into consideration what other international
organizations have executed. The
said rough draft will be presented to the Administration. Ms. Magaly Rothe,
personnel representative, will be contacted once the administration approves
the draft.
Nursery.
Considering the request of the Chief of Staff in the meeting on August 31 to
find other alternatives for the nursery, the Director of the HRD asked for
more information about the child population in the OAS and other options for
location of the nursery in and out of the OAS. The Staff Committee will
turn in the most recent request and the President will call together the
Nursery Subcommittee so that this project can be further pursued.
Workplace harassment and voluntary retirement
The members of the
Committee expressed their concern over the recent firings of some employees,
because, according to the said employees, they had been threatened and
treated disrespectfully. It was reiterated to the employees that the
Association is available to assist those employees who request assistance.
Likewise, the Executive Order 05-7, which addresses on-the-job harassment,
has not been created only to protect the personnel of the General
Secretariat, but also to equally protect independent contractors and
interns.
The Committee became
aware that some co-workers, who are near the age of retirement, are being
pressured by their colleagues and supervisors to retire. The Committee
recognized the importance that these employees are respected in their final
years of work. For this reason, it was urged that these co-workers who are
being harassed present themselves to the Association in order to bring their
cases to the attention of the Administration.
A the close of this
edition, the Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, has
informed us that the document addressing workplace harassment will be
available in Spanish at the beginning of 2007.
The Committee reminds the
personnel that if voluntary retirement is considered, before signing any
document, remember that Article 57(h) of the General Standards (www.oas.org/legal/english/Standards/GenS)
is complex, and for that reason, it recommends asking the assistance of our
legal representative, attorney Robert Aguirre.
Suggestion box
As a result of the survey
that was conducted in September, various employees emphasized the need to
have a suggestion box. Therefore, the Committee decided to place a box in
the Staff Association in GSB-347-A. The suggestions may be anonymous. The
Committee recommends that its members familiarize themselves with the
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 05-8 Corr. 1 over the scope of the policy of the General
Secretariat with respect to the protection of informants and witnesses.
Likewise, it was reminded that the information may be shared with the
Inspector General’s Office. See also Staff News 36 and 36a.
Evaluation in case of emergency
The administration
agreed, through Mr. Alex Flores, head of security, to a meeting with the
personnel in charge of cases of emergency in each one of the buildings of
the General Secretary to share updated information for evaluation in case of
emergency.
Mixed
Discipline Committee
Representatives were
appointed before the Mixed Discipline Committee, naming Ms. Beverly
Wharton-Lake as chair and Mr. Carlos Humud and Ms. Lynn Swenson as
substitutes. In the event that one of the members of this committee should
be directly or indirectly related with a disciplinary case, they will be
excused from the committee.
Children’s year-end celebration
Ms. Magaly Rothe informed
that she is preparing plans for a year-end celebration for children. The
funds to put forth this celebration will be provided by the Staff
Association and the OAS Credit Union. The Committee was reminded to place a
table for the sale of OAS Gift Shop
products during the party and delegated Ms. Patricia Quiroz and Ms. Lucrecia
Zea-Yonker to be in charge of this task. For security and budget reasons,
the Committee decided to revise their policy about the participation of
children and limit it only to children of the personnel of the General
Secretariat and children of the personnel that work in the OAS Credit Union
who are less than 10 years of age. The Committee wishes to extend its
thanks to all of the volunteers who collaborated with this children’s
celebration. (Staff News 35 and 35a)
Meeting of the CAAP
Mr. Bruce Rickerson
summarized about the meetings of the CAAP, indicating that various documents
have been revised, among them a strategic plan that includes the dates for
which the reports should be completed and the decisions made with respect to
the adjustment of the 2007 budget. The Under Secretary for Administration
and Finance, Frank Almaguer, made a presentation in which he promised to
provide all of the information solicited by the CAAP for its budget study.
Later the CAAP thanked him for the quality of the information, the
transparency of the facts and the level of detail prepared for the 2007
process.
The President reported
about his meeting with the President of the CAAP in which he welcomed him
and pledged to be attentive to the interests of the personnel. He took
advantage of the opportunity to reiterate to the President of the CAAP the
Committee’s disagreement with the reductions that affect the contributions
that the Administration makes to the Personnel Association. For more
information about the results achieved by the Administration with respect to
the adjustment of the budget program of 2007 before the CAAP, see Staff News
43.
Announcement of Vacancies
The Committee indicated
that the announcements for internal vacant positions have been published by
the Department of Human Resources. These internal vacancies correspond to
posts that have been reclassified; when a position is reclassified, it is
later necessary to have that position put up for internal competition.
For more information, see Staff News 44.
Competition for Reclassified Posts
A petition signed by 141
staff members was received, requesting that the Staff Association intervene
so that a revision of the provisions of the Staff Rules and General
Standards that require an incumbent of a reclassified post to win a
competition to that post, before that person is promoted to a new grade.
This rule was suspended on two occasions. The Staff took note of the
petition and agreed to ask the General Secretariat that the policy of the
open posting of reclassified positions be reverted. At the close of this
meeting, the Staff Committee received the following response on behalf of
the Administration.
http://www.staff.oas.org/documents/Reclasificaciones.pdf
Performance evaluation
The Committee summarized
its meeting with the Department of Human Resources in which HRD decided they
will present the advances on the new evaluation system. The Committee
expressed its satisfaction with the first draft of the evaluation system.
However, the Committed suggested that an evaluation to the supervisor
should be included as well. During the meeting, it was mentioned that two
departments have been selected to carry out a pilot plan with this new
system of evaluations. Training on how to fill the evaluations will take
place in November, and will be made effective in January of 2007. The
General Secretary should implement a policy so that the supervisors will
fulfill the requirements within an established time period. The Committee
said that in order to continue with the United Nations parity system, there
should be a performance evaluation whose results are directly linked with
the increase of steps and bonuses, which are incentives to the employees who
comply with their responsibilities in a satisfactory manner and are
punishments to those who do not comply. Likewise, the Committee requested
that the personnel be informed of the conclusion of the current evaluation
system and that the launching of the new system be announced in an official
manner.
Assistance
Carline Webb requested
the assistance of the Association in order to launch an aid campaign for
Haiti from an NGO. See
www.hope4haiti.com.
Machine to measure blood pressure and redistribution of documents addressing
smoking habits.
The Committee became
aware of the infirmary’s request to install a machine to measure blood
pressure, which would be located in the Administrative Building. The
cooperation of Mr. Atilio Nieto was requested, who stated that there would
be no problem acquiring space. The Committee decided that the cost should
be absorbed by the Administration. However, the Committee will contribute
$500 for the purchase of the machine. It also proposed that it should be
considered that the doctor in the GSB visits the Administrative Building
once a month to offer services to personnel in this building.
Likewise, it was
recommended to renew the first-aid kits in the possession of certain
personnel of the Secretary General, and also to announce the names of those
persons so that the personnel can refer to them when necessary. Also, it
was agreed to redistribute the 2000 document that addresses the smoking
habit.
Situation of the SG buildings
The Committee received a
complaint from the Radio Unit personnel in which they explained the
deterioration of the carpeting and the humidity in the offices. Likewise,
another employee indicated that the quality of the air in the GSB building
is poor and possibly is causing many cases of cancer. The President
contacted the Administration to transmit these concerns and necessary action
was immediately taken to make the repairs.
Art
Group
Every year, an art
exhibition put on out by personnel and every opportunity is taken to ask for
economic contributions for the exhibition. Normally, the contribution of
the Staff Association is $350 dollars. The OAS Credit Union contributes a
small sum to condition the walls and put up new tracks. Every participant
contributes $25 dollars which allows them to display 3 works of art. For
the sale of the works, the group charges a commission of 20%, and with these
funds it can further finance its activities.
Preliminary results of the 2006 survey
The President
communicated the preliminary results of the 2006 survey, emphasizing that
the topics of salary, benefits, and job security are of much importance for
the personnel. According to the survey, the current performance evaluation
system is not of much importance. The Committee agreed to distribute the
results of this survey as soon as possible. For more information, see the
following documents: SN-36/06-07, SN-36a/06-07.
Scholarships for the personnel
The president interviewed
Ms. Marie Levens, Director of the Department of Human Development, to set
forth a proposal presented during the Personnel Assembly and that consists
in offering academic scholarships for the personnel of the General
Secretary, linked with the evaluation systems.
OAS
soccer team
The Committee received a
grant request, from board of directors of the soccer team, to cover some of
the costs of inscription into the soccer league. The Committee approved the
donation of $300 dollars for 2006.
Meeting with AROAS and ASPEN
The President described
the meetings that have been conducted with the directors of the AROAS and
ASPEN (retired and pensioned), the purpose being for those who are nearing
retirement. Until now, they have identified five meetings of pre-retirement
sponsored by the Staff Association, AROAS, ASPEN and OASFCU, and all will
offer refreshments. For more information, please see Staff News 28.
Increase in Health Insurance
In the meeting that the
Committee held with the personnel representatives of the Mixed Insurance
Committee, the increases in health insurance for 2007 were made clear.
These increases correspond to: a 4% increase in the monthly policy; the
co-payment for eyeglasses will be $120; and the co-payment for medical
visits will increase to $35. The Committee requested that the
Administration inform the personnel of the new charges.
Meeting with WISA (Washington International Staff Associations)
The President commented
about his meeting with the representatives of WISA. In the said meeting
they compared the pension systems and hiring systems in each international
organism. Likewise, they discussed the possibility of creating more
benefits for the dependents of the personnel with G4 visas. The plan is in
the works and for this reason an attorney has been hired to study the case.
The idea was planted to implement a membership, but this is still being
discussed. The President and the representatives of WISA considered the
possibility of hiring a law firm, Maggio & Kattar’s
“Proposal to Washington Area International
Staff Organization for Immigration Service, June 26, 2006.”
December 15, 2006, members of WISA held a meeting in the Terry Woods room to
continue with their working agenda and they agreed to hold their next
meeting of the Pan-American Health Organization.
Loyalty Benefits
The President indicated
that among the benefits that the Staff Association offers for the
contributing employees is the “Loyalty Benefit.” Currently, in case of the
death of a contributing employee, the beneficiaries receive $2,000, and the
proposal to increase this benefit to $5,000 dollars was approved. Those
members who wish to have this benefit should maintain their contributions.
Sexual
Harassment
The President reported
that he had received the list of investigators of sexual harassment for the
next three years in agreement with the Executive Order No. 95-07: Mr. Sergio
Pino (coordinator) and the following investigators: Mr. Lincoln Bernardes,
Mr. Javier Arnaiz, Ms. Anna Chisman, Ms. Jean Craigwell and Ms. Nelly
Gochicoa. It was reiterated that “sexual harassment occurs as a result of
an abuse of power. In many cases, but not always, it is experienced by
employees of an inferior rank in the power structure of employment.
However, it can also occur between employees of equal rank, or be
perpetrated by an employee of inferior rank against one of a superior rank,
either within our out of a direct relationship of supervision. It can
involve members of personnel, consulters, contractors or employees of the
member states.”
Parking
The Committee delegated
Mr. Luis Batlle, Mr. Eduardo Jimenez and Ms. Tereza Davis to revise the
Administrative Memorandum #83 about parking and that it would be necessary
to present the changes to the Mixed Committee.
Continued Contracts
The President summarized
his meeting with the Under Secretary for Administration and Finance, the
Director of the Department of Human Resources, representatives of the Office
of the General Secretary and the Department of Legal Advisors about the
concerns of the Administration with respect to the application for a
continuing contract. In the said meeting, they agreed that the continual
hiring would begin at the end of the year and would end in the first
semester of 2007. The General Standards, in its Article 19, establishes the
necessary guidelines so that this continuation is pursued and with respect
to the current percentage goal, which is below 40%, and the General
Secretary will be requested to grant additional contracts until the
percentage goal of 50% is reached, as in the year 2003. Likewise, it was
agreed to maintain this form of employment in a continued manner every
semester, whenever the percentage goal is below 40%.
The percentage goal is
computed by dividing the number of personnel members with nominations of
Career Services and continual contracts by the total number of members of
personnel financed by the Regular Fund, in conformance with articles 17(a)(i)-(iv)
of these General Standards: personnel of Career Service, personnel with
continuing contracts, and personnel with fixed-term contracts and personnel
of trust.