DESA's STAFF SPEAK-UP: - CONTRACTUAL ISSUES & CONSULTANTS

A. Contractual issues and treatment of short-term and temporary staff (Summary of the issue raised by DESA Staff)

• Several staff cited short-term contracts, particularly those of 1-3 months, stating that our colleagues on temporary positions have contracts and conditions of service that are extremely stressful and do not speak well of DESA or the UN.

• Several DESA staff have colleagues who work as consultants or temporary staff, saying that often these short-term staff are viewed as secondary to permanent staff. They are denied health benefits, job security, and vacation. Some colleagues have trouble taking their children to the doctor because they have no leave.

• Short-term staff are often not informed of whether or not their contract will be renewed until the last day of their current arrangement. One staff member wrote: "It is torturous to see my colleagues stressing about whether or not they will have income tomorrow. I don't know anyone who can sustain good morale and work efficiency in these kinds of conditions. Job security, respect, and vacation are critical for keeping a sharp mind and the UN should be completely ashamed of how it treats these critical staff."

• The rules that govern staff contracts are very confusing and Human Resources and administrative staff are not helpful in this regard. It is very hard to get a straight answer from anyone. Different people have a different answer to the same question and the same people have different answers at different times.