Following the special Staff-Management Committee (SMC) session, which was held last week in Pristina (23-29 June), we would like to briefly inform you of the work accomplished.
The SMC focused on the UN80 Initiative, the current financial and liquidity crisis, and on possible mitigation measures to limit the impacts on staff, their livelihoods, conditions of service and wellbeing. Throughout an intense week of discussions, we made persistent efforts to reach agreements with management for the benefit of staff.
As we wait for the SMC report to be approved by the Secretary-General and made public, we would like to share with you some notable outcomes.
On the UN80 Initiative, management presented only one paper that was intended for information purposes only, rather than for consultation, and with no input sought from the staff unions. We strongly objected to this approach and reiterated the need for meaningful staff consultation on the substance of UN80 proposals. Your Union representatives at SMC expressed disappointment that the scarcity of information and lack of evidence-based analysis did not allow for effective engagement.
Staff unions presented to SMC proposals on topics such as principles of engagement that should prevail between management and staff during workforce reductions or downsizing, and we reached agreement on the need for overarching principles and participation of staff representatives in structured change management. Continue reading here.
