Sorry for the delay in posting comments. Please keep them coming!

Dear readers,

Apologies for delays in posting your comments. This blog is almost 18 months old and for most of its life, there were very few if any comments, which caused us to be lax in checking and posting comments. We're now doing that regularly and your comments, some several months old, have now been posted under the appropriate article. Sorry about that. For those of you whose comments included questions, we'll get back to you soonest. Please keep the comments coming.

Thank you.

CCCISUA President to Fifth Committee: Recommend search for new CEO and review governance, 27 October 2016

CCISUA PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT TO THE FIFTH COMMITTEE (TOPICS: SEPARATION PAYMENTS, COMPENSATION REVIEW, SECURITY STAFF, PENSION FUND CRISIS).

"Statement to the Fifth Committee – Common System agenda item Delivered by Ian Richards, President of the Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA) At the United Nations Headquarters, New York Thursday 27 October 2016

Excellencies, distinguished delegates.

Firstly Madam Chair, allow me to congratulate you for your election.

Separation payments

We support separation payments for staff whose fixed term appointment is not renewed after ten years of continuous service.

We note that staff who have continuing appointments and staff whose fixed term appointments are cut short receive termination indemnities related to length of service, substituting for them not receiving unemployment benefit in their home country. However, those whose fixed-term appointments aren’t renewed, even after 10 or 20 years of high performing service, receive nothing.

CCISUA briefing on pension matters: it's our Fund (we own it)-- get involved and act for change, 11 October 2016

CCISUA Bureau (Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations System) briefing on UN Pension Fund matters,

Friday, 7 October 2016, 1.15 to 2.45 pm, Conference room 11

Present: Ian Richards, CCISUA President, Egor Ovtcharenko, CCISUA Vice-President, Conditions of Service, Barbara Tavora-Jainchill, UN Staff Union President

UN staff federations took their concerns about moves to privatize the Fund to the annual Pension Board meeting held in Vienna in July 2016. Last Friday, CCISUA briefed staff at UN HQ New York on issues of continuing concern, including chronically elusive information about the extent and status of the protracted backlog in pension payments; fractious staff management relations in the Fund; retaliation against Fund staff; investment underperformance; lack of oversight and control over investment outsourcing; issues of competency and oversight in the Board coupled with increased secrecy in its activities; a need for major structural changes to preserve the health of the Fund; and some ways that the owners/stakeholder can help to bring about necessary change.