Note on the re-integration of former OCP staff into their national systems after service with the Programme

JOINT PROGRAMME COMMITTEE Office of the Chairman Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa Programme de Lutte contre l'Onchocercose en Afrique de I'Ouest JPC - CCP JOINT PROGRAMME COMMITTEE Nineteenth session Accra. T - 9 December 1998 COMITE CONJOINT DU PROGRAMME Bureau du President JPC I9/INF IDOC.Z OzuGINAL: ENGLISH September 1998 NOTE ON THE RE-INTEGRATION OF FORMER OCP STAFF INTO THEIR NATIONAL SYSTEMS AFTER SERVICE WITH THE PROGRAMME Table of contents l. Introduction Background Issues The Role of the Participating Countries The Role of OCP Perspectives of former staff members Conclusions Page I2. 4. 5. 6. 7. 2 2 aJ 4 4 5Annexes I 1. Introduction The External Evaluation Team which reviewed the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in 1997, reported to the Joint Programme Committee in December 1997 on among other things, Human Resource Management in OCP. The Team supported the programme that OCP is offering its staff to prepare them for post-OCP careers. It also noted that national onchocerciasis team members after many years of specialisation in onchocerciasis, find themselves outside the mainstream of their profession and perhaps less likely'to be promoted. Thus JPC18, in its discussion of the Team's report requested that OCP should examine facilitating factors and constraints regarding integration of former OCP staff in national services and report thereon to JPC19. 2. Background 2.1. Asaprogramme,OCPhadastaff of 865 inl992,of which52l werestaffmembersofthe Executing Agency, WHO (See Annex l). In 1993 administrative responsibility for 258 staff members was passed to the Participating Countries. These staff members were separated from WHO with full termination benefits, and then almost all continued working for the Programme on public sector salary scales. The progressive reduction of aerial larviciding as a result of cessation of operations in controlled areas has led to the continued reduction of the total staffing from 865 in 1992to a projected 570 in 1999. Perhaps more importantly, the staff directly hired by the Executing Agency has fallen from232 in 1993 to a projected 90 in 1999 (see Annex 2). This contraction has been in line with the budget reductions imposed by the six-year Plans-of-Operations and the reorganisations flowing from the policy decision for progressive disengagement of the Programme and increasing engagement of the Participating Countries. 2.2. The staffing situation as at April 1998 is shown at Annex 3. There were I l9 staff members on fixed term contracts with WHO, the Executing Agency. Of these, l6 are on secondment from their governments. Theoretically they will return to their civil service positions whenever their services are no longer required by OCP. Within the 305 persons on the National teams, there are some who have become specialised in certain aspects of Onchocerciasis control, at the expense of the routines for general disease control such as malaria, or guinea worrn or schistosomiasis control. They have expressed concern about their career paths when OCP, as an externally funded programme, comes to an end. 2.3. OCP has been reducing its staff complement PROGRESSMLY over the past six years. Thus only a small number of persons have been released onto the job market at any one time, which makes it easier for them to be absorbed either by their getting other jobs or by their starting small businesses. Each person has had a lump sum to tide him/trer over until he/she is re-integrated. This is clearly better economics for the countries than releasing all the staff onto the job market at the same time, at the end of the Programme. 2.4. All OCP staff members in WHO posts, whether seconded by govemments or no! are treated in the same way while they are at work. At separation, the seconded staff member goes smoothly back to his/trer civil-service position and career. The non-seconded staff member is normally obliged to seek another job. Both receive the termination benefits prescribed in WHO's Staff Rules, such a$ repatriation grants, pensions and transportation home. Staff members who work with OCP under Special Service Agreements (SSA's) receive the termination benefits set out in their contracts. ') 'L- 2.5. Allposts in OCP are of limited duration. and they lapse when the project closes. Incumbents of these posts do not have a right of access to other core posts elsewhere in WIIO. They do have the right to three months notice of termination. 3. lssues 3.1. Two issues have been identified. The first is, what is the role of the Participating Countries in this matter, on the one hand prior to the year 2002, and on the other hand after the year 2002? The Programme has been in existence for more than 20 years and has trained a fair number of high quality staff. What do their countries intend to do with them? They represent an important resource, and a legacy which is certainly more valuable than the equipment and vehicles which will be left running in the year 2003. 3.2. From as early as 1991, it was recognised that the successful conclusion of the work of the Programme, would require the Participating Countries to take on responsibility for the epidemiological surveillance needed to avoid the return of the disease. This was the way to safeguard the benefits arising from the operations of the Programme. This recognition was a major facilitating factor, since it gave rise to a number of positive moves towards re-integration of OCP staff into their national health svstems. 3.3. The second issue is what does OCP do in this matter between the present and the year 2002? The Programme must respond to people who have worked with OCP for a long time and are due to leave before the year 2002, when certain operations close down. It has to respond to people who have also worked for a long time, but whose services will be required up to the end of the year 2002.It must also respond to the newly recruited staff. Most of the staff will require some form of counselling and guidance as the Programme progressively disengages and winds down to closure in2002. 3.4. As an organisation and as an employer, WHO is obliged to honour the employment contract it has with each of its employees. As an International Organisation, its relationship with its employees is govemed by its own STAFF RULES and Regulations as long as they are in its employ. WHO is clearly a party to any agreement by which a government seconds one of its staff members to work with WHO. The courtesies should be observed when this agreement is being terminated by either party. However WHO is neither obliged nor entitled to do more than to advise the govemment in good time that a secondment will terminate on a particular date, and to thank the government for having made the person available. 4. The Role of the Participating Countries 4.1. It seems fair to suppose that reintegration of former OCP professional staff into the national health systems should facilitate the countries' ability to take on the responsibility for entomological/epidemiological surveillance against recrudescence, and for doing the residual tasks of onchocerciasis control. The SSA category employees should be employed by the State, so that their skills and experience will not be lost to the Multi-disease Surveillance Units of the Ministries of Health. 4.2. The operations of OCP require careful weekly, monthly and annual PLANNING, continuous CO-ORDINATION of one's work with that of other people, respect for TIME and deadlines, daily, weekly and monthly MONITORING/CONTROL of actual FACTUAL RESULTS obtained as a basis for the next action. These are management techniques which are transferable to other working environments. So that in addition to the technical skills acquired by national staff -3 workirlg for OCP, a considerable amount of MANAGEMENT skills and techniques are acquired in the normal course of doing their work. This is an important national MANAGEMENT capacity, built up by OCP, which Participating Countries should use to good effect in their health systems and also IN OTHER SECTORS OF NATIONAL LIFE. 4.3. In 1993 the salaries of 258 staff members were "harmonised" with the government salary scales of the country in which they were working. This was to make it possible for the goverrrments to put them on their establishments on the goverrunent salary scales. After five years, one goverrunent has actually done so. The other governments concerned should now move to take over the administrative responsibility for the staff who were harmonised in 1993. 4.4. There is no longer any apparent reluctance on the part of some Participating Countries to take on what OCP is already doing so well. There is no doubt, however, that the success of OCP in removing the threat of blindness has given onchocerciasis control a lower priority in public awareness and in access to the national budget for health. However there is need for governments to take on the responsibility for protecting the enormous benefits brought by the activities of the past 24 years. Re-integrating former OCP staff into the national health system will help with Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities as well as the more technical entomological and epidemiological surveillance activities. 4.5. For the small number of staff who are on secondment from their governments, their re-integration is assured by the terms of their secondment. At the end of their service, they will be returned to their civil-service posts to continue their career in the government service. Participating Govemments should ensure a smooth administrative re-entry into the civil service of its staff members who are retuming from secondment to WHO-OCP. 4.6. Govemments are being advised in good time whenever OCP operations are going to close down in a particular area. They should therefore take the appropriate administrative actions towards re-integration of the staff working in these areas. 4.7 . The retirement age in WHO is 60 or 62 years.ln the national government services, it ranges between 50 and 58 years. Early retirement is available in WHO at or after 55 or 57 years. Social security is a very important aspect of the termination of the serryices of any OCP staff member between the ages of 50 and 55 years and his re-integration. In some cases lump sum payments from WHO have had to tide them over until the national Social Security system takes over. Governments should ensure that former OCP staff members are quickly re-integrated into the national social security systems, especially when they are nearing the retirement age. 5. The Role of OCP 5.1. The Personnel Service of OCP is charged with retaining within the Programme the competence required to transfer to the Participating Countries the competences and tools required for post-OCP operations, and to see it through to closure, in the year 2002. 5.2. The OCP Personnel Service has embarked on a programme of counselling of staff to prepare them psychologically for the end of a Programme, which has gone on for 25 years, and which for some has been their life. There is need to guide some persons on how to place a potentially successful application letter for a new job, and to prepare a CV. -4- 5.3 In the course of the ongoing dialogue with staff members, it has been proposed that the Programme (i) provides certificates of service and letters of recommendation on request since these will carry much weight in the search fbr alternative employment; (ii) circulates a list of OCP staff available for employment to other organisations (iii) considers provision of training for redeployment. These ideas have been accepted for implementation. 5.4. It is planned to take on a full time staff member to support and promote this staff welfare activity of counselling and career transition. Help has also been sought from the Pensions Officer in WHO-HQ, in the form jof a 1O-day visit to the field offices to advise staff members on their pension options. 5.5. OCP is currently recruiting professional and support services staff on locally competitive salary scales. In this way these recruits are likely to remain in their countries after the Programme closes in a few years time. This phasing out of UN salary scales (or harmonisation) is an OCP contribution towards the transfer of skills to countries at local salary levels. The experience of working in an organisation as disciplined and as demanding of continuous performance as OCP will make these staff members extremely valuable to any employer in the country. 6. Perspectives of former staff members 6.1. Staff members who retum to their national systems in mid-career, lose the enhanced STATUS of being an employee of a prestigious International Organisation. To retum on retirement is acceptable. This applies as much to the held worker in his village, as to the doctor or entomologist in the Ministry of Health in the capital city. 6.2. Some staff members have become so specialised in onchocerciasis that they are out of touch with the operations against the other parasitic diseases of concern to their national Public Health systems. They perceive this as potentially a limitation on their prospects for promotion. 6.3. Former OCP staff members retuming to the national systems are sometimes made aware that they are unwelcome COMPETITION for jobs and scarce local benefits. 6.4. status. The considerable favourable benefits to the staff, naturally cease with their return to national 6.5. Finally, departing OCP staff members may sometimes wishe to explore or exercise other options than working in the national health system. Some would rather continue working in the UN system and they seek help in finding jobs in other UN agencies. However OCP is a very specialised operation, and experience gained here does not give an advantage in chances for entering in other agencies. Some may not wish to return to the country of their original recruitment because of personal or security considerations. 7. Conclusions Participating Countries should make every effort to re-integrate former OCP staff into the national Public Health systems, with a view to integrating Onchocerciasis control activities into their national epidemiological surveillance units. These trained and disciplined staff represent an important national capacity built up by OCP and a resource more valuable than the equipment and vehicles which will be left running at the end of the year 2002, and should therefore be the subject of serious reflection and fact-based statements of position. -5- ANNEXE 1 lrIL Fo J 1IF 1 lrIL F Ch o H =3G fl lrlr 6 &I P = ffi o o)o ooa F N o) o) F E o) F lo o) o) F lfo o)F (f) o) o) F GI o) o) F o) o) o) I(\I o) o) F J l.IJzz oa E, tU tL tL o zo trfJ o UJ 88888888866t\tDtosfcrlGl I(r)I I(ot (o I(')$ ((,N I(')E IGl &(r) Ncl EN E(oN (otN Id)$N EN $N() o() R(o E(o E(o t\(o N $o I6 Eo o H -6- ANNEXE 2 I $EFF o J z o9EEFA I t (r)I o E t I a N+(\l I t , t t I t t ,t , i\+ I I I I I I I(olf\t I I I I I I I Sx I , I I t , t + I No C,}F oN otN o E o E o s o E o E o) o) o) I fit o) o) F J Luzz oa E, Lu TL tL o zo trfJ o TU tl-rtP6 o Hz HE -I i *tooF o(o N @ (a o(DEFlt For(.l8O\.9e - 'IooFo'aFooN N(f)N o tON ooo sf s o u)o oot ooIt oo u) GIlo o tO lO rJ) c)N tI I I I N Nt l t t a , t I oo tr T J FoF O c.l o\ o\ o\ o\ \o@ ca tr)O ca N\o rl.] zr! \o t-- I t-- tr.lzo fr.lJ 4 r! a s co o rFl F ca rn oo \oca $\ z F N N tt\o oo d-r lll'a^zd =a oca $ rr.l ,,: &ts-9>L,/ Hx t-.1 $ \oN Oca + \n\o o\o\ 4a E.] V A4 -ZooO o\\o z Vd m c.l oo$ \o $ ca$ o\ J fr.lzfrla o\ Z z tr.l ca N N \oc\l ooc.l -l z o\ c.l -l zIOa fr.lt!o& O. a rrlU t! 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