Meeting with the Regional union delegates (Geneva, Friday, October 26, 2018)

Meeting with the Regional union delegates (Geneva, Friday, October 26, 2018)

On 26 October, François Kientzler, Executive Secretary, and Abdoulaye Diallo, Deputy Executive Secretary, met with regional ILO Staff Union representatives (see below) in the presence of Catherine Comte, Union President. The delegates were in Geneva to attend the Union’s GA but also for working meetings with the Staff Union Committee and with the Director-General.

We wanted to meet with the delegates because we are concerned about, and attentive to, the situation of pensioners in the regions, and in particular that of retired local staff. A round table discussion allowed some crucial points to be raised, such as problems related to the delay in reimbursement of health costs but also the non-recognition of the SHIF insurance card by hospitals and health centres in numerous countries. This card includes a toll free number but in fact the number is not free in Africa. Retirees in Africa also have difficulty in accessing the offices where they worked; it would be desirable for an access card to be issued to them, in the same way as at Headquarters in Geneva. There are often serious delays in determining pension entitlements; the Section, in coordination with the Staff Union Committee, is available to help speed up the procedures with the Pension Fund.

The Section’s Executive Secretary hoped that, as is already the case in Dakar and Lima, retirees’ sections could be set up within the ILO Local or Regional Trade Unions. This would help maintain relations between local retirees; the lifetime membership fee for local staff is US $ 50. The Section’s website, which is regularly updated, allows retirees around the world to stay in touch. Visiting the site – no password is needed to access it – convinced delegates of its usefulness and the value of its content for retirees. The Geneva-managed site (http://www.anciens-bit-ilo.org) is ready to receive information from the regions in order to give it the necessary publicity. Former civil servants residing in the regions may also join a national union which brings together all retirees of the various international organizations. These national unions are generally adherents to FAFICS (Federation of International Civil Servants Associations).

Regional Stewards:

• Africa: Roger Mavinga Nkambu (Abidjan)
• Americas: Maria Elena Lopez Torres (Lima)
• Asia and the Pacific: Razi Mujtaba Haider (Bangkok)
• Europe and the Arab States: Rania Bikhazi (Europe and Middle East)