STU/68th Council/19/018
16 October 2019

207th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO
ORAL STATEMENT OF THE UNESCO STAFF UNION (STU)

Thank you Madame Chairperson, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

At the last session of the Executive Board, the STU alerted the Member States to the potential risks of the poorly prepared and badly led mobility exercise to the Organization. Today, as the exercise has been completed without the STU being heard, we regret having been right.

As a matter of fact, the results of the staff survey we conducted confirm that, contrary to the Administration’s claims, the colleagues concerned are not satisfied.

As a whole, they deem the exercise improvised, arbitrary, stressful and demotivating and believe that the transfers were decided in the absence of any precise, clear and transparent criteria that the STU was calling for. The colleagues regret also that staff movements have overlooked the skills of each individual, to the detriment of the Organization and their career development which, let us recall because the Administration seems to have forgotten, does not consist in transfers at the same grade.

The STU therefore requests that the process be paused and evaluated before being renewed , and that its cost be calculated and published : moving and installation costs, cost of requests for early retirement, cost of the lack of skills transfer.

STU is concerned about the rushed launch of the functional mobility exercise, without consulting the staff associations. It will be particularly vigilant about its progress and will denounce anything that appears to be a malfunction or a violation of staff rights.

In addition, STU deeply regrets the Director-General's decision to abolish Staff Rule 102.2 , which allows each eligible staff member to request the reclassification of his or her post. This decision was taken against the advice of the Staff Associations and the Advisory Committee on Personnel Policies (ACPP). The possibility of requesting a post reclassification was a last resort for colleagues in an Organization where career development does not exist. This is one more right that is being taken away from them.

Moreover, the STU regrets that the revision of the Statutes of the Appeals Board did not allow a real reduction of the duration of proceedings , when the abolition of the Reports Board is considered by the Administration, again against the advice of the Staff Associations and ACPP, and there will be a growing number of cases.

Dear Delegates, for years we have been listening to you emphasizing the importance of the staff, the main asset of our Organization. Since the financial crisis, the staff has been sacrificed (in the words of the Director- General herself), in the Headquarters and the Field, and is still suffering from the lack of means. This is why the STU supports the Director-General’s request for an increased budget in favour of the staff , to reinforce its skills in particular by training , promote career development and tackle insecurity , for greater efficiency of the Organization.

Thank you for your attention.