United Nations salary, allowance and benefits system

XI. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE
1095. United Nations salary, allowance and benefits system

A

The General Assembly, Having considered the report of the Salary Review Committee [1] established by General Assembly resolution 975 (X) of 15 December 1955, the comments thereon by the Secretary-General and by the executive heads of the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organization,[2] and the observations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,[3]

1. Expresses its great appreciation to the Salary Review Committee for its valuable work;

2. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To apply the provisions of base pay, post adjustments and dependency allowances, as set forth in paragraph 7 below, to staff serving at Headquarters or at the European Office of the United Nations with effect from 1 January 1957, and to apply these provisions as soon as practicable to other members of the staff of the United Nations, with effect from dates established by him for each office;

(b) To carry out, after consultation with the executive heads of the specialized agencies, the reconciliation of conditions of service under different programmes referred to in chapter XIII of the report of the Salary Review Committee, by application of the basic measures proposed by that Committee, including provision for an assignment allowance for staff members on certain temporary assignments, subject to such modification of the detailed proposals as the Secretary-General deems necessary and desirable;

(c) To be guided by the conclusions of the Fifth Committee, as recorded in its report to the General Assembly,[4] in respect of matters therein not covered by the present resolution;

3. Requests the Secretary-General, in conjunction with the executive heads of the specialized agencies concerned and in co-operation with the joint Staff Pension Board:

(a) To review the question of the pensionable remuneration of the staff with a view to making recommendations for action by the General Assembly;

(b) To provide for death and disability protection for members of the staff on temporary appointments for a fixed term, if practicable by eventual amendment of the Regulations of the Joint Staff Pension Fund;

4. Resolves to amend the provisions of General Assembly resolution 359 (IV) of 10 December 1949, as amended by resolution 973 C (X) of 15 December 1955 dealing with tile Staff Assessment Plan, by adding a new text, as set forth in paragraph 7, which will become staff regulation 3.3;

5. Authorizes the Secretary-General to broaden the existing medical and hospital care schemes applicable to the staff, with effect from 1 June 1957 or as soon thereafter as may prove practicable, these schemes to be financed on the basis of an over-all sharing of the costs by the participating staff and the Organization on an approximately equal basis in such a manner that a larger measure of financial assistance will be granted to staff in the lower salary levels than to staff in the higher salary levels;

6. Authorizes the Secretary-General to pay, as a transitional measure, personal allowances to present staff members who would otherwise suffer a reduction in emoluments through the initial application of new rates or conditions for dependency allowances, such personal allowances to be decreased and eventually eliminated according to a procedure to be prescribed by the Secretary-General;

7. Resolves that the Staff Regulations of the United Nations be amended as follows with effect from 1 January 1957:

Annex I, paragraph 3

Replace the present text by the following: "A Director shall receive a salary of $US 18,000 per annum (subject to the Staff Assessment Plan provided in staff regulation 3.3 and to post adjustments wherever applied) and, if otherwise eligible, shall receive the allowances which are available to staff members generally. In addition, the Secretary-General is authorized, on the basis of appropriate justification and/or reporting, to make additional payments to Directors to compensate for such special costs as may be reasonably incurred in the interest of the Organization in the performance of duties assigned to them by the Secretary-General. The maximum annual payment for any one Director shall be $1,000."

Annex I, paragraph 4

Replace the present text by the following: "Except as provided in paragraph 6 of the present annex, the salary scales for staff members in the Principal Officer and Director category and in the Professional category shall be as follows (subject to the Staff Assesment Plan provided in staff regulation 3.3 and to post adjustments wherever applied) : "BASIC SALARY SCALES "(Subject to the Staff Assessment Plan provided by staff regulation 3.3 and to post adjustments wherever applied)" In the table change the rate for Director to $18,000.

Annex I, paragraph 9 (Post adjustments)

Replace the present text by the following: "In order to preserve equivalent standards of living at different offices, the Secretary-General may adjust the basic salaries set forth in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this annex by the application of non-pensionable post adjustments, the amounts of which shall be determined on the basis of relative costs of living, standards of living and related factors at the office concerned as compared to Geneva on 1 January 1956. Such post adjustments shall not be subject to the Staff Assessment Plan and their amounts shall vary by salary level as determined from time to time by the General Assembly."

Regulation 3.2 (Children's allowances and education grants)

Delete the first paragraph in order to eliminate the reference to children's allowances. Delete the word "also" from the first line of the second paragraph. Delete the words "the children's allowance or" from the fourth paragraph. Delete paragraph 1 of annex IV dealing with children's allowances.

Regulation 3.3 (Staff Assessment Plan formerly in resolution 359 (IV), as amended by resolution 973 C (X))

Add the following new text:

"(a) An assessment at the rates and under the conditions specified below shall be applied to the salaries and emoluments of staff members, but not to dependency benefits or to post adjustments, provided that the Secretary-General may, where he deems it advisable, exempt from the assessment the salaries and other emoluments of staff engaged at locality rates.

"(b) The assessment shall be calculated according to the following rates:

 

Total assessable payments	Assessment
Not exceeding $4,000 per year	15 per cent
Next $2,000 per year	20 per cent
Next $2,000 per year	25 per cent
Next $2,000 per year	30 per cent
Next $2,000 per year	35 per cent
Next $3,000 per year	40 per cent
Remaining assessable payments	50 per cent

   

"(c) [Same text as article 3 (b) which appears in resolution 359 (IV)].

"(d) [Same text as article 6 which appears in resolution 359 (IV)].

"(e) [Same text as article 7 which appears in resolution 973 C (X)]."

Add, as paragraph (f) the text of article 8 which appears in resolution 973 C (X), with the addition of the following sub-paragraph: "A payment under the conditions prescribed in the three preceding sub-paragraphs is authorized in respect of dependency benefits and post adjustments, which are not subject to staff assessment, but may be subject to national income taxation."

Regulation 3.4 (Dependency benefits)

Add the following new text:

"(a) Staff members in the Principal Officer and Director category and in the Professional category shall be entitled to receive dependency allowances as follows:

"(i) At $200 per annum for a dependent wife or dependent husband and at $300 per annum for each dependent child; or

"(ii) Where there is no dependent spouse, a single annual allowance for $200 for either a dependent parent, a dependent brother or a dependent sister.

(b) If both husband and wife are staff members, one may claim, for dependent children, under (i) above, in which case the other may claim only under (ii) above, if otherwise entitled.

"(c) Staff members whose salary rates are set by the Secretary-General under paragraph 6 or paragraph 7 of annex I to these regulations shall be entitled to receive dependency allowances at rates and under conditions determined by the Secretary-General, due regard being given to the circumstances in the locality in which the office is situated.

"(d) Claims for dependency allowances shall be submitted in writing and supported by evidence satisfactory to the Secretary-General. A separate claim for dependency allowances shall be made each year."

Annex III

Add to paragraph (d) a new item as follows: "A staff member who for disciplinary reasons is dismissed for misconduct otherwise than by summary dismissal, provided that the Secretary-General may grant in such a case, at his discretion, a termination indemnity in any amount not exceeding the full indemnity provided under paragraphs (a), (b) or (e) of this annex, whichever is applicable." Add a new paragraph (f) to read: "A staff member whose appointment is terminated for reasons of health shall receive the termination indemnity set out in this annex, to the extent that the amount of the termination indemnity, when added to the annual amount of the disability benefit payable to him under the Regulations of the Joint Staff Pension Fund, does not exceed one year's salary."

Regulation 9.4 and annex IV (Repatriation grant and service benefit)

Replace the present text of regulation 9.4 by the following: "The Secretary-General shall establish a scheme for the payment of repatriation grants or service benefits within the maximum rates and under the conditions specified in annex IV to the present regulations." Renumber the repatriation grant provision as paragraph 1 of annex IV and replace the first sentence of that provision by the following text: "In principle, the repatriation grant shall be payable to staff members whom the Organization is obligated to repatriate, except staff members on temporary appointments for a fixed term entitled to a service benefit. Neither repatriation grant nor service benefit shall be paid to a staff member who is summarily dismissed." Insert as paragraph 2 in annex IV a new provision entitled "Service benefit", as follows:

"(a) If his letter of appointment so indicates, a staff member who has served at least one year on a temporary appointment for a fixed term shall receive upon separation a service benefit at the rate of 4 per cent of salary during service in his home country and at the rate of 8 per cent of salary during service outside his home country, for each year of service.

"(b) Should such a staff member, without break in service, be granted a probationary or permanent appointment, or complete five years of qualifying service on temporary appointment for a fixed term, he shall lose entitlement to the service benefit.

"(c) Service for calculation of the service benefit shall mean service subsequent to the entry of this provision in the letter of appointment,"

662nd plenary meeting,
27 February 1957.

B

The General Assembly, Believing it desirable that, as far as practicable, there should be a common system relating to salaries, allowances and benefits of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies and that, in particular, staff serving the United Nations and the specialized agencies in the same centres should be governed, as a general rule, by similar standards of salary and related benefits,

1. Calls the attention of the specialized agencies to resolution A above, which sets out decisions taken by the General Assembly with regard to the staff of the United Nations, and recommends to the specialized agencies the adoption of similar provisions with respect to their staffs;

2. Decides that, with effect from 1 January 1957, the post adjustment for United Nations Headquarters in New York shall be class 5 within the system proposed by the Salary Review Committee and adopted by the General Assembly;

3. Recommends to the specialized agencies that, for the purposes of post adjustment, and with effect from 1 January 1957, Geneva be placed in class 1, and that, provisionally, Rome be placed in class 2, Paris in class 4, and Montreal in class 4;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to apply, to the members of the staff of the United Nations serving in the headquarters area of a specialized agency which has adopted the post adjustment system recommended by the Salary Review Committee and approved by the General Assembly, the class of post adjustment set by that agency for that area;

5. Commends the United Nations Staff Assessment Plan to the attention of the specialized agencies, and invites consideration of the advantages to be gained by common adherence to this system.

662nd plenary meeting,
27 February 1957.

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[1] A/3209. [2] Official Records of the General Assembly, Eleventh Session, Annexes, agenda item 51, document A/C.5/691. [3] Ibid., document A/3505. [4] Ibid., document A/3558.