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Interview from UN SPECIAL

Mr Mauro Pace (FAO) – NEWLY-ELECTED PRESIDENT FROM FICSA

Before starting the interview, you were in Santiago, Chile when the earthquake hit early on the morning of 27 February. You were there with the General Secretary representing FICSA at the meeting of the ICSC. What were your impressions? Can you give us some details on the experience?

Frankly speaking, although the memory of that night will mark our lives for ever, finding a suitable reply to this question goes beyond my communication abilities. It would be tantamount to describing in a few lines sentiments such as the astonishment, fear, impotence, sorrow, happiness and hope: to me, the earthquake meant feeling all these sentiments at the same time. To date, about ten days later, the real dimension of the tragedy is not yet known, and probably it will never be. Perhaps one day we shall know exactly how many lives were lost and what magnitude of the economic damage was; however, psychological consequences on those who survived, but lost their families, their homes and their source of living will never be measurable. For sure, I was impressed by the unity and the immediate solidarity shown by the Chilean people, of ell ages and classes, to help those who were hit by this tragedy. Both the General Secretary and I are committed to do whatever is in our possibilities to see our Federation contributing to such an exceptional solidarity effort.

FICSA held its 63rd FICSA Council in mid-January of this year here inGeneva. You were elected President for a two-year term. Can you give us a brief background of your history as a staff representative?

What was your most memorable moment as a staff representative? Your greatest achievement? Before replying, please let me thank UN Special for the opportunity to share some ideas about the Federation and its role.

I joined UGSS, the Union of General Service Staff of FAO and WFP, in 1984, shortly after my recruitment in FAO. I was elected as a member of the Executive Committee in 1991 and, almost at the same time, I joined the UGSS Technical Committee. Through active participation in both bodies I learnt the correlation between the political and the technical aspects of staff representation, eventually realizing the importance of building my capacity in both areas.

My involvement in FICSA runs almost in parallel, from my initial election as Vice- Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Management back in 1992 up to the recent election as President, having in the meantime gained experience as a member of the Executive Committee for Compensation Issues.

Anyway, this is history now. Today, I’m more inclined to look at my present and future activities.

A memorable moment? The expression of gratitude by a young single mother who had run the risk of being separated during an organizational downsizing. We found a solution to keep her on board: I’ll never forget her smile and tears, while reading the renewal notice.

I consider a major achievement to be the strengthening of our training programmes: in my opinion unity, solidarity and knowledge are the three fundamental pillars of an effective staff representation, the latter being as important as the others.

What are the most important issues for staff at the present time which are being debated at the high level bodies such as the ICSC, CEB, IASMN, UNGA?

This question would be more easily answered by listing the issues that are “not” under discussion.

Actually, almost all fundamental aspects of the conditions of employment in the International Civil Service appear on the agendas of the bodies you are referring to: salaries and allowances, pensions, post classification, performance management, contractual framework, health care, safety and security of staff...: we have a duty to follow-up on all of them very closely, although security needs primary attention. At a time when UN staff is increasingly being targeted in malicious acts, the need to safeguard the lives of staff and their families becomes top priority.

What is your vision for FICSA? What do you foresee as important issues in the next two or three years?

I’ve always considered our Federation as a transparent, democratic and competent staff representative organization, a unique tool for promoting our conditions of work and the image of the International Civil Service. Yet, there is scope to do better in adapting to a rapidly changing global context.

Far too often we, the staff, are depicted as a restricted caste of privileged bureaucrats: this image influences public opinion and, eventually, that of our governing bodies, resulting in staff representation being an endless struggle for “damage containment”. FICSA can play a fundamental role in making justice of this bias, calling for proper recognition of the efficiency, competence and integrity of staff, as reflected in article 101 of the UN Charter.

Communication and capacity-building are key in this process: should I summarize my vision in three words, here they are.

What do you think will be your most important challenge as President of FICSA?

The only possible answer to this question is a logical consequence of the situation I’ve just described: being on top of all fundamental issues related to our conditions of employment, ensuring at the same time that our message is heard by decision makers and our membership alike.

Not an easy challenge. However, immediately after the election I felt the enthusiasm and the support of many colleagues, first and foremost those in the Executive Committee and the Secretariat. One of them, during our first ExCom meeting two weeks ago, said: “I feel like being in a family”. “We are on the right footing”, I thought.

It is premature, but how do you wish to be remembered after your mandate with FICSA ends?

Ah ah, this is something I have not been thinking of! ... Let’s say that, when my successor takes over from me, a Federation in which all members recognize themselves as being adequately represented. Then I would be more than happy.

You have been a staff representative for many years and a member of the FICSA Executive Committee and an expert/resource person. How has staff representation and staff/management relations evolved over the years? Has it improved? Are staff representatives losing ground?

As I said, change happens, and is increasingly happening.

Staff/management relations are not insulated from the process, although the impact of changes may be different according to circumstances. Organizational attitude towards staff representation, the presence of a more or less enabling environment, the degree of financial independence of unions and associations, the contractual situation and job security; these are just a few examples of factors that can substantially influence the cohesion and effectiveness of staff representation.

In essence, diversity can be our weakness or our strength. Making the best use of it represents our ultimate, perhaps most engaging, challenge.