CP/RES. 841 (1361/03)

REPATRIATION TRAVEL AND MOVING ALLOWANCE:
 MODIFICATION OF STAFF RULES

THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

HAVING SEEN the Report of the General Secretariat entitled “A proposal to replace moving and travel allowances for repatriation under Chapter VIII of the Staff Rules with a single repatriation moving and travel allowance,” (CP/doc.3664/02);

CONSIDERING:

That the Secretary General has proposed the adoption of a Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance to be paid to future staff members in lieu of the current moving and travel expense payments available to eligible repatriated staff;

That in March of last year, the Permanent Council adopted a similar proposal by the Secretary General to replace the Installation Allowance and recruitment travel expenses for new employees with a “Mobilization Allowance” for the purpose of reducing personnel related costs and the cost of administering those benefits;

That the adoption of the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance will reduce the cost of repatriation benefits paid to staff members hired after March 31, 2003, and will result in additional cost savings by simplifying the process of administering cumbersome repatriation-related entitlements;

That the amount provided under the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance is reasonable and was computed taking into account the amounts provided under the Mobilization Allowance for moving and travel-related costs during recruitment and transfer of duty station while in service;

That resolution AG/RES. 1319 (XXV-O/95) provides that “any subsequent changes in benefit levels as recommended by the Secretary General shall be subject to the approval of the General Assembly in the program budget, or of the Permanent Council, pursuant to its authority under Article 90.b (now 91.b) of the Charter;” and

That Staff Rule 113.4(b) provides that modifications to the Staff Rules “having budgetary implications” shall enter into force only with the Permanent Council’s approval,

RESOLVES:

To approve, effective upon the date of this resolution, the establishment of the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance, together with the corresponding modifications to the Staff Rules set out in Appendix “A” of this Resolution.

APPENDIX A

REPATRIATION TRAVEL AND MOVING ALLOWANCE /

1.     Amend the chapeau of Staff Rule 108.7 to state as follows:

(a)     Except as stated in section (d) below, travel expenses paid or reimbursed by the General Secretariat shall include:

2.     Add to Staff Rule 108.7 a new Section d, which states:

(d)     For all eligible staff members who join the staff of the General Secretariat after March 31, 2003, travel expenses in connection with repatriation are included within the fixed amount of the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance set out in Staff Rule 103.22, and Section (a) above shall not apply for computing those expenses. Staff members hired prior to April 1, 2003, who are eligible for receiving repatriation travel computed under section (a) above, and who waive in writing their rights to computation of travel expenses under that section (a), together with their rights to moving expenses under this Chapter of the Staff Rules, may opt for payment of a Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance.

3.     Add to Chapter III of the Staff Rules a new Staff Rule 103.22, which states:

Rule 103.22 Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance

a.     Purpose of Allowance: The Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance is an allowance given to an internationally recruited staff member to cover the moving, travel, and other transportation expenses incurred by a staff member and his/her family and their personal property upon repatriation.

b.     Eligibility: The Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance shall be payable to staff members eligible to receive payment of travel expenses in connection with their repatriation under Staff Rule 108.1(c); however, no person who receives other payments for moving expenses or travel expenses in connection with repatriation under any other provision of these Rules shall be eligible for the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance.

c.     Amount: The amount of the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance shall be as follows:

(i)     For staff members with more than one year of service but less than two years: $4,350 without dependents; $5,800 with one dependent; and $7,250 with two or more dependents; and

(ii)     For staff members with two or more years of service: $6,000 without dependents; $8,000 with one dependent; and $10,000 with two or more dependents.

d.     When Payable: The Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance is due and payable in its entirety with respect to the staff member once the staff member provides satisfactory proof to the Department of Human Resource Services of his/her repatriation to a place outside the duty station, together with repatriation to a place outside the duty station of any dependents included in the computation of the Allowance. Nonetheless, upon the staff member’s request, the Secretary General may advance up to 50% of the allowance prior to the staff member’s repatriation.

4.     Amend Rule 108.12 as follows:

Rule 108.12: Inapplicability of Staff Rules 108.13-25 With Regard to Recruitment, Duty Station Transfers, and Repatriation for Staff Members Receiving the Mobilization Allowance and the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance

Staff Rules 108.13 – 25 shall not apply to recruitment and duty station transfer related travel, moving and other transportation in those cases where the staff member is eligible for and receives the Mobilization Allowance for such travel, moving and other transportation. Similarly, those Rules shall not apply to repatriation-related travel, moving, and other transportation in those cases where the staff member is eligible for and receives the Repatriation Travel and Moving Allowance for such travel, moving, and transportation.