STU/66th Council/14/024
20 November 2014

STU suspends its relations with the Administration

In its Flash of 2 October last, the UNESCO Staff Union (STU) pointed out that an open and constructive dialogue, during the redeployment exercise, between staff associations and the Administration had enabled a relatively satisfactory result to be reached.

Today, however, STU deplores the Administration’s general attitude which suggests that now everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.

Particularly, STU considers that the Administration shows a lack of consideration for it, and therefore for the staff, by its silence or refusal to take into account STU comments on essential matters affecting staff working conditions, that continue to deteriorate. The increasing number of colleagues turning to STU for advice, to whom we cannot provide an answer, makes that perfectly clear.

By way of example, we may cite the Administration’s silence regarding our requests concerning:

• the Director-General’s decision on the involuntary separation from the Organization of seven colleagues (Advisory Board on Individual Personnel Matters (PAB) of 5 September 2014) following the redeployment exercise, which included two G-2 posts and two G-3 posts, for a supposed budget reduction , while the Member States’ request for a cut in the Senior Management Team (SMT) in order to make savings remained unheard ;
• savings arising from the redeployment of 16 colleagues to posts at a lower grade.

Furthermore, STU comments and proposals are systematically refused or ignored.

This is notably the case of:

• the excessive use of waivers for external recruitment and the hiring of temporary staff and retired staff members;
• STU comments on appointments (PABs);
• the functioning of MyTalent;
• the revision of the rules for office space allocation at Headquarters;
• administrative circular AC/HR/42 on the cancellation of additional leave for breastfeeding purposes;
• administrative circular AC/HR/43 on the Medical Benefits Fund (MBF).

STU disapproves the decisions taken by the Administration after the so- called consultation of the staff associations, which was nothing more than a charade.

That is why STU has decided, from today and until further notice,
to suspend its relations with the Administration.