STATEMENT OF THE CEB HR NETWORK AT THE 62nd SESSION OF ICSC: TOTAL COMPENSATION COMPARISON – STAGE II (BELGIUM)

STATEMENT OF THE CEB HR NETWORK AT THE 62nd SESSION OF ICSC: TOTAL COMPENSATION COMPARISON – STAGE II (BELGIUM)

(ICSC/62/R.11 and CRP.5)

Mr. Chairman,

Before providing our comments on documents R.11 and CRP.5, allow me to refer back to the statement the HR Network made under the previous agenda item, Grade Equivalency Studies. The concerns we expressed with regard to the non-application of the Noblemaire principle and the need to ensure renewed competitiveness of the United Nations system are also applicable to the deliberations of this item. They provide the context in which we wish to make a number of specific comments on the information provided by your Secretariat on the Belgian Civil Service.

In general, the HR Network wishes to express its fullest support to a continuation of the analysis of the Belgian Civil Service. Having reviewed the information provided in the documents, we believe that the total compensation package may well compare favourably with that of the current comparator. Specifically, we note

· That the Belgian civil service seems “better paid” with regard to pension benefits and with regard to leave, holiday and work hours;

· That the Belgian civil service seems approximately equal to the US federal civil service with regard to health insurance provisions;

· That, with regard to salary, as stated in paragraph 18 of CRP.5, "at the lowest comparable positions the Belgian salaries are significantly higher while at the highest comparable positions Belgian salaries are approximately equivalent to US salaries”. In this connection, there seems to be a contradiction between these findings presented in paragraph 18 and the conclusion drawn subsequently in paragraph 35(i) which states that “the US federal civil service is “better paid” with regard to salary”. If the Belgian salaries are significantly higher at the lower levels and approximately the same at the higher levels, then the overall comparison should be in favour of the Belgian civil service. We therefore appreciated hearing the Secretariat’s explanation just now that this contradiction might be an error in the document.

Also, with respect to salaries, we note that in paragraph 14 of CRP.5, it is stated that the salary, at the maximum relevant level, would be 117,601 Euro per annum. The Network’s research of the Belgian website however provided us with a salary scale which shows a level 7 salary of more than 180,000 Euro, i.e. a significantly higher amount.

In summary, the Network believes that the initial compensation comparison findings are encouraging, as is the fact that the size of the Belgian civil service is significant and exceeds that of Switzerland. Of course the Network appreciates that a full compensation comparison would need to take into account cost-of-living differences, exchange rates and other factors which may impact on the final outcome. However, the preliminary findings would seem not only to fully justify, but in fact mandate an in-depth comparison study. This becomes even more important and urgent when one considers the difficulties the Secretariat has had in obtaining data on United States Senior Executive Service and which have effectively paralyzed the required comparison exercises with the current comparator. A search for alternative comparators is therefore a timely and necessary endeavour, which must not be stalled because of resource constraints. To be sure, with regard to alternative comparators, the Network has pointed out repeatedly that the time has come to look not only at national civil services but also at comparable international organizations. We will do so again under the next agenda item.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, the HR Network wishes to comment on paragraph 38 of CRP.5, which suggests that in the future, a ten year cycle of Noblemaire studies be applied. The Network is not in agreement with this proposal by the Secretariat. While we fully appreciate the amount of work and the degree of complexity that these studies entail, the application of the Noblemaire principle remains the foundation on which our compensation system is built. At a time when the world is changing at an ever increasing and faster pace, and when no organization or civil service is exempt from adapting to change on a daily basis, the review of how the international civil service compares with the best paid cannot take place only once every decade. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, the HR Network wishes to request the Commission to maintain the current five year cycle.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.