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	News archive 30-12-2010 | General Assembly phases out the Special Operations Approach Full story... 31-5-2010 | CCISUA General Assembly Adopts an Ambitious Agenda, Elects New Bureau for 2010-2011 Full story... 17-4-2010 | URGENT: XXV CCISUA General Assembly POSTPONED Full story... 22-1-2010 | UNAIDS Staff Member Carries Olympic Torch Full story... 13-1-2010 | CCISUA President Offers Condolences to the People of Haiti Full story... 16-7-2009 | CCISUA Members Pause to Remember Fallen UNHCR Staffer Full story... 10-7-2009 | CCISUA Pushes Forward on a New End of Service Grant, Mandatory Age of Separation, GS Job Evaluation Standards and the Employment Relationship at the 69th Session of the ICSC Full story... 7-5-2009 | CCISUA Signs Partnership with UN Plus Full story... 29-4-2009 | CCISUA Holds XXIV General Assembly Full story... 25-4-2008 | XXIII CCISUA General Assembly Held at ILO, Geneva Full story...   General Assembly phases out the Special Operations Approach 30-12-2010 | The General Assembly has taken a decision which will end the use of the Special Operations Approach in the United Nations Funds, Programmes and Agencies. In a draft resolution on the United Nations Common System obtained by CCISUA, theFifth Committee of the General Assembly has approved the establishment of a new allowance for staff serving in non-family duty stations, applicable to all United Nations staff, including those from the Funds, Programmes and Agencies. This lump-sum allowance will replace of the Special Operations Living Allowance which staff now receive under SOA. This is a major setback for international staff in non-family duty stations whoare currently deployed using SOA. Since early 2010 when the issue of a replacement to the Special Operations Approach was first brought up in an International Civil Service Commission meeting in Santiago, Chile, CCISUA has been working tirelessly to try to fend off this decision. We produced a conference room paper defending SOA which was endorsed by FICSA and UNISERV and tabled at the ICSC in the name of all three Federations. CCISUA took the lead in arguing for SOA at the ICSC and we also strongly argued for our position in front of the Fifth Committee. We lobbied member states. Unfortunately the majority of the Member States were not persuaded. Under the ICSC proposal (see pages 50 and following of their Annual Report), now approved by the General Assembly, staff serving in non-family duty stations will receive a second household allowance of a lump sum equivalent to the hardship allowance at ‘E’ duty stations. This lump sum will be differentiated according to dependency status and level. Staff will no longer be placed in an Administrative Place of Assignment or APA. The first staff to be affected will be those whose initial deployment to a non-family duty station takes place six months after the resolution was adopted—i.e., after the end of June 2011. Staff currently receiving SOLA will continue to do so for the first year after the resolution. From the second year, if they remain in their current duty stations, the amounts will be reduced by 25% per year until they reach the “unified” amount established by the ICSC for all staff. If they move from their current duty station after June 2011, they will receive the unified amount. The biggest negative effect will be on single staff, whose lump sum allowance will be 50% of that awarded to staff with dependants. Rest and recuperation entitlements will also be reduced, and it is not yet clear what measures will be taken to ensure staff have the smoothest possible transition from the current framework. CCISUA’s leadership believes that if the Funds and Programmes are able to show that this decision is having a negative effect on their operations, there might be a chance that GA could be persuaded to change this decision to something more favourable to staff. But this would take some time, and because of how the resolution is written, it is unlikely to be possible earlier than the 67th Session of the General Assembly—in 2012. However, we are not giving up. CCISUA, will continue to fight for this short-sighted decision to be changed. Print story  |  Send as e-mail  |  Home
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