United Nations Office at Geneva: Audit of Overtime at UNOG (AE2005-311-04), 30 Jun 2005
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United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (UN OIOS) 30 Jun 2005 report titled "Audit of Overtime at UNOG [AE2005-311-04]" relating to the United Nations Office at Geneva. The report runs to 17 printed pages.
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UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM MEMORANDUM INTERIEUR
AUD II-7-30 (00464/05) 30 June 2005
TO: Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General
United Nations Office at Geneva
FROM: Egbert C. Kaltenbach, Director
Internal Audit Division II
Office of Internal Oversight Services
SUBJECT: Audit of Overtime at UNOG (AE2005/311/04)
1. I am pleased to submit the final report on the audit of Overtime at the United Nations
Office at Geneva, which was conducted in between January and April 2005 in Geneva by Mr.
Raja Arumugham and Mr. Girma Gina.
2. A draft of the report was shared with the Officer-in-Charge, Division of
Administration, UNOG and the Chief, Human Resources Policy Service, Division for
Organizational Development, OHRM in June 2005. Their comments are reflected in this final
report.
3. I am pleased to note that the audit recommendations contained in the final Audit
Report have been accepted and that UNOG has initiated their implementation. The table in
paragraph 34 of the report identifies those recommendations, which require further action to
be closed. I wish to draw your attention to recommendations 01, 02, 03 and 05, which OIOS
considers to be of critical importance.
4. I would appreciate if you could provide me with an update on the status of
implementation of the audit recommendations not later than 30 November 2005. This will
facilitate the preparation of the twice-yearly report to the Secretary-General on the
implementation of recommendations, required by General Assembly resolution 48/218B.
5. Please note that OIOS is assessing the overall quality of its audit process. I therefore
kindly request that you consult with your managers who dealt directly with the auditors,
complete the attached client satisfaction survey form and return it to me under confidential
cover.
6. Thank you for your cooperation.
Attachment: Client Satisfaction Survey
cc: Mr. C. Bancroft-Burnham, Under-Secretary-General for Management (by e-mail)
Mr. D. Veness, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security (by e-mail)
Mr. S. Goolsarran, Executive Secretary, UN Board of Auditors
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Mr. T. Rajaobelina, Deputy Director of External Audit (by e-mail)
Mr. H. Abdel-Aziz, Officer-in-Charge, Division of Administration, UNOG (by e-mail)
Ms. G. Miller, Chief, HRPS, DOD, OHRM (by e-mail)
Mr. M. Tapio, Programme Officer, OUSG, OIOS (by e-mail)
Ms. C. Chavez, Chief, Geneva Audit Section, IAD II, OIOS (by e-mail)
Mr. R. Arumugham, Auditor-in-Charge, IAD II, OIOS (by e-mail)
Mr. D. Ti�ana, Auditing Assistant, IAD II, OIOS (by e-mail)
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United Nations
Office of Internal Oversight Services
Internal Audit Division II
Audit Report
Audit of Overtime at UNOG
(AE2005/311/04)
Audit Report No. E05/R10
Report date: 30 June 2005
Auditors: Raja Arumugham
Girma Gina
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UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES
Office of Internal Oversight Services
Internal Audit Division II
AUDIT OF OVERTIME AT UNOG (AE2005/311/04)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
From January to April 2005, OIOS conducted an audit of overtime at the United Nations Office at
Geneva (UNOG). The audit covered compensation for overtime and night differential for the years
2002, 2003 and 2004 with expenditure totalling some $4.64 million. UNOG accepted all the audit
recommendations and have either implemented or are in the process of implementing most of
them.
Overtime policies and guidelines
� The conditions governing compensation for overtime and night differential, as contained in
Appendix B to the Staff Rules applicable to UNOG, have remained unchanged for almost 40
years. The significant differences in the conditions applied at UN Headquarters and at UNOG
have substantial financial implications. While many of these differences could be attributed to
differences in the local conditions prevailing in Geneva and New York, as pointed out by both
UNOG and OHRM, other differences may no longer be justified.
� In Geneva, double rate for overtime work applies on weekdays from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. the
next day, on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to midnight and on Sundays and official holidays. In
New York, double rate is applicable only for Sundays, or the seventh day of the scheduled
workweek or official holidays. On the other hand, regular working hours per week are 40 in
Geneva, while only 35/37.5 in New York.
� In Geneva, staff in the Professional and General Service categories are paid 10 and 25 per
cent respectively of the hourly gross salary at the staff member's grade and step as night
differential. In New York, only one rate, 10 per cent, is paid for all staff members. During
the three years (2002-2004), the net night differential, at the 25 per cent rate, paid to UNOG
security staff and drivers amounted to some $821,000. Had UNOG applied the 10 per cent
rate, the cost would have been only some $330,000.
� In Geneva, as compensation for normal overtime, the staff takes CTO for the first eight hours
and the rest is paid in cash. In New York, after a review conducted three times a year, the
staff is compensated by CTO for the first 40 hours and the rest is paid in cash.
� In the view of OIOS, a comprehensive review is overdue to determine whether the 1966
Appendix B still reflects the current local conditions and whether the significant variations
between different duty stations are still justified. UNOG concurred that there is a need to
review and update Appendix B, but felt that the review should be undertaken as part of the
system-wide review initiated by OHRM, although a step-by-step approach could be considered.
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� In most cases, overtime and night differential were not authorized in advance. The form used by
UNOG Finance Section bears a prior authorization signature, but OIOS ascertained that these
forms were signed post facto and only served the purpose of certification by the Section Chief.
� The analysis of the pattern of overtime paid indicated that authorizing work on overtime is an
established practice in many sections and the total overtime paid in these sections continued to
increase each year. In some sections, staff members regularly worked more than 40 hours
overtime in a month, in contravention of the conditions.
� In the Security Service, a few security staff members, who regularly were paid overtime, night
differential and weekend premium, accounted for about 41 per cent of the total amount paid
from 2002 to 2004. At the Travel and Transportation Unit, the overtime and night differential
paid to certain drivers doubled from $93,400 in 2002 to $185,500. This was attributable to the
full time assignment of two drivers to the DG starting January 2003, as well as a significant
increase in the usage of drivers after office hours and during weekends.
� For the three main users of UNOG vehicles, there was a significant increase in usage over the
last years:
� At UNOG, overtime averaged 600 hours a year from 1998 to 2001. The annual average from
2002 to 2004 increased to 1,300 or more than double. Moreover, the cumulative overtime
accrued during the weekends and official holidays increased fourfold, from an average of 200
hours in the last four years to some 800 hours in 2004. Despite the recruitment of an
additional driver, drivers' overtime alone amounted to some 500 hours per year in 2003 and
2004.
� For a significant amount of overtime accrued by the drivers, the official purpose of the use of
the vehicle was not obvious. OIOS is further looking into the issue.
� At OHCHR, overtime fluctuated over the last six years, ranging from a low of 386 hours in
2000 to a peak of 883 hours in 2004. At ECE, overtime increased steadily from 182 in 2002
to almost 400 hours in 2004.
� According to the policy of the provision and use of official cars (ST/AI/337 dated 15 October
1986), the official cars should be used only for official business within working hours, but not
for transportation to and from work. OIOS noted that the pattern of usage by the high-ranking
officials was not in compliance with this policy. The Division of Administration, UNOG has
reminded the users concerned of the official policy. OHRM has confirmed that the policy
outlined in ST/AI/337 is still valid, but wanted to bring the issues raised to the attention of
DM/OCSS to review the policy and determine a need for modification, if any.
June 2005
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER Paragraphs
I. INTRODUCTION 1-5
II. AUDIT OBJECTIVES 6
III. AUDIT SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY 7-8
IV. AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Overtime policies and guidelines 9 -13
B. Compliance with conditions and policies 14 � 33
V. FURTHER ACTIONS REQUIRED ON RECOMMENDATIONS 34
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 35
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I. INTRODUCTION
1. From January to April 2005, OIOS conducted an audit of overtime at the United
Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). The audit was conducted in accordance with the
International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing.
2. Overtime means time worked in excess of the scheduled workday or in excess of the
scheduled workweek or time worked on official holidays. The compensation for the excess
work shall take form of an equal amount of compensatory time off (CTO) or additional
payment (overtime). Staff members in the General Service category or in the Trades and
Crafts category are eligible for CTO or payment of overtime. The proper authority should
authorize the excess work. Night differential is a compensation payable for any regular work
undertaken by staff members between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. where at least four of such
hours have been worked during the week.
3. UNOG Division of Administration establishes the policy and guidelines for overtime
and night differential and administers overtime for the various Divisions in UNOG. From
2002 to 2004, UNOG paid some $4.66 million (CHF 6.35 Million) as overtime, night
differential and weekend premium. The table below provides the breakdown for each year.
Year 2002 2003 2004 Total
US$ in million 1.133 1.669 1.861 4.663
Swiss Francs in 1.777 2.246 2.329 6.352
million
4. This is the first audit conducted by OIOS on the administration of overtime in UNOG.
There was no audit by the Board of Auditors on this subject in UNOG. However, the Central
Support Services of UNOG Division of Administration undertook an internal review of its
current practices in June 2004.
5. The findings and recommendations contained in this report have been discussed
during the Exit Conference held on 27 May 2005 with the former Director, Division of
Administration, UNOG and other officials concerned. A draft of this report was shared with
the Director, Division of Administration and the Chief, Human Resources Policy Service,
Division for Organizational Development, OHRM on 1 and 2 June 2005 respectively. Their
comments have been reflected in the report in italics. UNOG has accepted most of the
recommendations made and is in the process of implementing them.
II. AUDIT OBJECTIVES
6. The main objectives of the audit were to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of
(i) Overtime policies and guidelines established in UNOG; and
(ii) Implementation of the policies and guidelines with regard to authorization, recording,
and payment of overtime and night differential.
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2
III. AUDIT SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
7. The audit scope included the overtime and night differential paid during the period
January 2002 to December 2004. The review focused on the various sections in UNOG, in
particular the Central Support Service, which authorized more than 50 percent of the overtime
paid during the review period. The audit focused on the policies and guidelines established by
UNOG, the procedures adopted by various sections in authorizing, recording and monitoring
and payment of overtime and night differential.
8. OIOS reviewed the existing policies and guidelines and the available documents
relating to overtime and night differential. The audit team reviewed and analysed the
information relating to the overtime and night differential paid during the review period. The
audit team also selectively reviewed few cases of substantial overtime payment to determine
whether the total overtime hour worked was justified. The team assessed the procedures in
place relating to prior authorization, approval and review of overtime documents before they
are paid. The audit team met and discussed with the responsible staff members in the Central
Support Service (CSS), Financial Resources Management Service (FRMS) and Human
Resources Management Service (HRMS). The audit team also compared the overtime policies
and procedures established at UN Headquarters in New York (UNHQ) and at the United
Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV).
IV. AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Overtime policies and guidelines
Existing UNOG policy needs to be reviewed
9. According to Staff Rule 103.12 staff members serving at established offices in the
Trades and Crafts category, in the General Service category or in the Field Service who are
required to work in excess of the working week established shall be given compensatory time
off or may receive additional payment, under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
These conditions shall be set forth in the Appendix B to the Staff Rules applicable to the duty
station. According to Staff Rule 103.13 staff members who are assigned to night time tours of
duty shall receive a night differential at a rate and under conditions set forth in Appendix B to
the Staff Rules applicable to the duty station. The Secretary-General in his bulletin
ST/SGB/2002/1 promulgated the latest version of the Staff Rules on 1 January 2002, with
Appendix B containing the conditions governing compensation for overtime and night
differential at Headquarters.
10. For UNOG, the conditions governing compensation for overtime and night differential
(Appendix B) were issued on 1 September 1966. These conditions have remained unchanged
for almost 40 years and are still applied. OIOS noted that UNOG reviewed these conditions in
January 1998, but decided not to formally propose revisions. Reasons for this decision were
not clear on the files. According to the Flemming principle, the conditions shall be
determined by reference to the best prevailing local conditions at the duty station. Since local
conditions have not stagnated over the last 40 years, OIOS sees an urgent need to review and
revise the conditions contained in Appendix B.
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3
11. OIOS noted significant differences in the conditions governing compensation for
overtime and night differential between UN Headquarters and UNOG:
At UNOG, the overtime shall be compensated as special (twice the rate) if a staff
member worked on weekdays from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. next day, on Saturdays from 12
p.m. to mid night and on Sundays and official holidays. In New York, the special rate
is applicable only for Sundays, or the seventh day of the scheduled workweek or
official holidays. On the other hand, staff members in Geneva have 40 regular working
hours per week, while staff in New York has only 35/37.5 hours. Furthermore, UNOG
pointed out that the staff member concerned shall receive no less than four hours of
overtime compensation for time worked on the sixth or seventh day of the week or on
official holiday.
Regarding night differential, the Geneva conditions differentiate between Professional
and General Service (GS) staff. The Professional category is authorized 10 per cent of
the hourly gross salary at the staff member's grade and step as night differential,
whereas the GS staff members receive 25 percent of the hourly rate. In New York, the
rate of 10 percent of the hourly rate of the aggregate of the staff members' salary is
paid for all professional and GS staff. These differences have substantial financial
implications: During the three years (2002-2004) reviewed, UNOG paid net night
differential (at the 25 per cent rate) to the security staff and the drivers totalling some
$821,000. Had UNOG applied the 10 per cent rate, the cost would have been only
some $330,000. As UNOG rightly pointed out, the applicable hours for night
differential in New York are from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. versus 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
in Geneva. Therefore, the time for entitlement to night differential in Geneva covers
13 hours compared to 15.5 hours in New York. OIOS is aware that the different
conditions do not allow a simple and straightforward comparison. Nevertheless, even
taking into account the entitlement to more hours in New York, the application of the
10 per cent rate would have resulted in significant savings. OIOS is not convinced that
local conditions alone can explain and justify such a significant difference.
At UNOG, the first eight hours of ordinary overtime will be compensated by equal
time of CTO and the balance hours are paid in cash. In New York, overtime shall be
paid after a review conducted three times a year, and after ascertaining that a staff
member had accumulated more than forty hours of CTO, which could not be
authorized because of the exigencies of the service. The remaining entitlement of forty
hours of CTO will be counted as part of the staff member's accumulated entitlement at
the time of the next review.
In Geneva, weekend premium is paid to staff members for whom the normal working
week of 40 hours has been modified by the adoption of a shift system or roster system,
also of 40 hours. The premium is payable at 50 per cent of the hourly rate of the staff
member's salary, to those who have worked between 7.00 a.m. on Saturday and 7.00
a.m. on Monday. The premium is payable in addition to the night differential. No such
premium is paid in New York.
The practice of "stand by duty" or " on call duty", the time during which a staff
member is not required to be present at work, but is expected to report to work as soon
as requested to do so, needs to be clarified. In Geneva, 20 hours of "recuperation" are
credited to staff members on stand by duty from Monday 9.00 p.m. to the following
Monday 5.00 a.m. According to OHRM, on "call duty" has been authorized in New
York for certain departments and may be incorporated into Appendix B for New York
in future.
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4
OIOS also noted that UNOV, in 2004, prepared conditions governing compensation
for overtime (Appendix B) at UNOV, reflecting the best prevailing local conditions
and aimed at ensuring consistency among the UN agencies based at the Vienna
International Centre. The revised draft has been pending with OHRM, who intended to
conduct a review of all local Appendices B.
12. OIOS is fully aware that the conditions contained in Appendix B of each duty station
are determined by reference to the best prevailing local conditions at the duty station and that
many differences in the conditions applicable in Geneva and New York are a reflection of
different local labour markets. Nevertheless, local labour markets are not stagnating, but
develop over the years. OHRM and UNOG therefore need to ensure that the provisions of
Appendix B still reflect the prevailing local conditions in Geneva. This requires a complete
review and overhaul of Appendix B. OIOS also wishes to highlight that many of the variances
between the conditions applicable in New York and Geneva cannot be explained by different
local conditions in the US and in Europe. OIOS noted that the provisions applied at UNOG
are relatively close to those applied at UNOV, whereas the conditions applied at ICTY are
similar to those at UNHQ. OIOS is not convinced that the local labour market conditions in
The Hague are closer to New York than to Geneva. UNOG should therefore initiate a
comprehensive review of the conditions set forth in Appendix B, taking into account the
prevailing local conditions, the conditions applied by other UN entities in Geneva and the
conditions in other UN duty stations. OIOS is aware that a complete overhaul and revision of
Appendix B may not be achievable within the near future. As a first step and as a matter of
priority, those parts of Appendix B containing the conditions governing compensation for
overtime and night differential should be reviewed and revised.
Recommendation:
UNOG Division of Administration, in consultation with
OHRM and the Controller, should review and revise the
provisions of the 1966 Appendix B governing compensation for
overtime and night differential at UNOG, in order to ensure that
they reflect today's prevailing local conditions in Geneva and
that variances from the provisions applied at other duty stations
are justified (Rec. 01).
13. UNOG acknowledged the need to review and, if necessary, update Appendix B for
Geneva. However, UNOG felt that this might be a very lengthy exercise, given the sensitive
nature of other issues dealt with in Appendix B, and proposed that the review be undertaken
as part of the system-wide review initiated by OHRM, although a step-by-step approach could
be considered. OHRM stated that they did not know whether the provisions of the 1966
Appendix B still reflected the best prevailing local conditions in Geneva and highlighted that
any revision of Appendix B applicable to Geneva should be done by reference to local
conditions. OIOS will record this recommendation as implemented upon receipt of the results
of a review and revision of the conditions in Appendix B for Geneva governing compensation
for overtime and night differential.
B. Compliance to the conditions and policies
Non existence of prior authorization
14. According to the UNOG conditions governing overtime and night differential, all
overtime shall be authorized in advance and subsequently certified by the Chief of the
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5
Division or Service concerned. However, OIOS review of the overtime claim forms indicated
that the overtime was not authorized in advance in almost all the cases. The form used by
UNOG Finance Section bears a prior authorization signature, but OIOS ascertained that these
forms were signed post facto and only served the purpose of certification by the Section Chief
concerned. Therefore, OIOS could not ascertain the justification for the overtime claims.
OIOS understood that in some sections like Security and Safety, prior authorization might not
be practical at all the times due to the nature of the job. But OIOS noted that in most of the
instances in which overtime had been authorized like major conferences, visits of VIPs and
social events, it was possible to plan and authorize overtime in advance. OIOS believes that
planning and authorizing overtime ahead of time would enable managers to control excessive
and unjustified claims submitted by staff members.
15. OIOS recommended that the Division of Administration ensure that the
requirement for prior authorisation of overtime is adhered to while processing the overtime
claims, and advise all responsible certifying officials to comply with this requirement.
UNOG accepted the recommendation and will establish a procedure to ensure that all
requests for overtime are properly authorized beforehand. For the Central Support Services,
UNOG has already put in place a proper mechanism. UNOG added that there would be
exceptions where prior authorization was not practical due to the nature of the work. OIOS
considers this recommendation as implemented, but expects UNOG to properly justify and
document such exceptions.
Recurrence of overtime
16. According to the conditions governing compensation for overtime, the need to
incur overtime should always be of a transitory nature to meet urgent or unforeseen
circumstances that make it imperative for staff to work beyond normal hours. Any incidence
of recurring overtime will be brought to the attention of the Director of Administration. OIOS
analysis of the pattern of overtime paid during the review period indicated that authorizing
work on overtime is an established practice in sections focused in this review, like Security
and Safety Section (SSS) and Procurement and Transportation Section (PTS), Building and
Engineering Section (BES) and Text Processing Section (TPS). OIOS noted that the total
overtime paid in these sections continued to increase each year. On the other hand, there was a
significant decrease in overtime in the Financial Resources Management Service (FRMS) due
to special factors (discontinuation of payroll services for UNHCR, and automation of certain
reconciliation tasks using IMIS). It is only this decrease that prevented total expenditure for
overtime in UNOG to continue to increase. For SSS and PTS, the trend remained to increase.
The table below (figures provided by UNOG) indicates the pattern of payment during the
review period in thousands of US dollars and Swiss Francs in italics, and the percentage of
increase to the previous year in parentheses:
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6
2002 2003 2004
Section
US$ CHF US$ CHF US$ CHF
232 354 376 495 465 577
Safety and Security
(62%) (40%) (24%) (17%)
Purchase and 97 151 117 156 188 233
Transportation (21%) (3%) (61%) (49%)
74 117 127 168 110 141
Text Processing
(72%) (44%) (-13%) (-16%)
Building and 91 142 85 113 109 135
Engineering (-7%) (-20%) (28%) (19%)
494 764 705 932 872 1,086
Sub-totals
(43%) (22%) (24%) (17%)
131 206 142 191 38 47
Finance
(8%) (-7%) (-73%) (-75%)
143 219 259 342 129 166
Miscellaneous
(81%) (56%) (-50%) (-51%)
768 1,189 1,106 1,465 1,039 1,299
Totals
(44%) (23%) (-6%) (-11%)
Recommendation:
UNOG Division of Administration, in order to minimize
overtime expenditure, should, on a quarterly basis, review the
pattern of overtime payments and advise the respective heads of
offices through inter office memorandums (Rec. 02).
17. UNOG accepted this recommendation and added that it would seem to overlap with
the regular review of expenditures carried out by budget and certifying officers. OIOS
suggests that UNOG advise budget and certifying officers to take up with the respective heads
of offices the results of the review of overtime. UNOG also explained that increase in
overtime might be attributable to various reasons such as non-availability of general
temporary assistance provisions to face peak workload periods and that the freeze on the
recruitment might have a further impact on overtime costs. UNOG added that
notwithstanding this situation, UNOG would ensure that it would ensure that regular
monitoring is strengthened and any anomalies would be brought to the attention of managers
concerned. OIOS will record this recommendation as implemented when it receives a copy of
guidelines on the regular monitoring of overtime or a copy of memos to managers on the
status of overtime in their respective programmes or activities.
Non-observance of the 40-hour overtime limit
18. The conditions governing overtime stipulate that in the interest of the health of the
staff member and the efficiency of the services, the supervisors would not require a staff
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7
member to work more than 40 hours of overtime during any one month, except where unusual
exigencies of service so require. OIOS noted that in some sections the staff members worked
for more than 40 hours overtime in a month. In particular the drivers in the Transportation
Section regularly worked for more than 40 hours. OIOS estimated that on average, every
driver worked 67 hours of overtime per month in years 2003 and 2004. In some glaring cases,
one of the drivers worked overtime for 108.5 hours in December 2003 and another driver
rendered overtime work for 135.5 hours in August 2004. OIOS believes that this needs to be
addressed and the service of staff members should not be required beyond 40 hours in
addition to their normal working hours. As this is a pattern, it cannot be justified by unusual
exigencies of the service.
19. Furthermore, OIOS review also indicated that some staff members were requested to
work on overtime continuously for more than 12-20 hours without any break including lunch.
OIOS is concerned that this practice would affect the health and efficiency and effectiveness
of the staff member in carrying out his or her functions. This practice was common among
drivers and security personnel.
Recommendation:
The UNOG Division of Administration, in the interest of the
health of the staff members and of efficiency of the service,
should enforce the limit of 40 hours of overtime. Should the
need for it arise, UNOG should consider hiring temporary staff
(Rec. 03).
20. UNOG accepted this recommendation and will enforce the 40-hours limit as from July
2005. Compliance would be monitored through continuous random checks. OIOS will close
this recommendation as implemented upon receipt and verification of overtime statistics for
the period July to October 2005.
Non-observance of the CTO rule
21. According to the conditions governing overtime, the first eight hours of ordinary
overtime in a month will be compensated by equal time off at the earliest possible date and
will not be paid. However, in some instances the overtime was calculated and paid to staff
members for all the time worked as overtime. This practice was prevalent in security services
provided to other UN agencies on a cost reimbursable basis. OIOS also noted instances in
which similar payments were made to staff members in the regular budget. In OIOS opinion,
this practice should be stopped to minimize expenditure under overtime.
Uneven distribution of overtime, night differential and weekend premium
22. OIOS review of the overtime paid in the Security and Safety Section indicated that
there were a few security staff members who were regularly paid overtime, night differential
and weekend premium. For example in the years 2002 to 2004, approximately 14 per cent of
the security staff were paid about 41 per cent of the total overtime and night differential. The
Security and Safety Section asserted that only these security staff members were willing to
work overtime and in night shifts. Although OIOS was not able to verify this assertion, OIOS
believes that UNOG should endeavour to achieve a more even distribution of work among
staff members to avoid the perception of unequal treatment. Furthermore, OIOS noted cases
where some drivers at the G-4 level and security officers at the G-4 to G-6 level received net
remuneration, including their compensation for overtime, that exceeded the total net salary of
a P-4 or P-5 staff member in 2004 and in some months that of a D-1 staff member. Such cases
point to the need for UNOG to ensure that overtime is more evenly distributed among staff
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8
members.
Recommendation:
UNOG Division of Administration should advise all offices
concerned to adequately plan their work beyond normal office
hours, so that it is evenly and fairly distributed to many staff
members, taking into account the skills and availability of staff
members (Rec. 04).
23. UNOG accepted this recommendation and will advise all offices concerned of the
recommendation and request its swift implementation with the establishment of internal
controls to avoid recurrence. UNOG added that since the Security and Safety Section is now
part of the independent Department of Safety and Security, this recommendation could be
addressed to that Department, which could consider it in its review of their administrative
rules. OIOS will take up this issue in its present audit of the SSS. OIOS will record this
recommendation as implemented upon receipt of UNOG's advice to all offices concerned and
of statistics on compensation for overtime per staff member for the period July to October
2005. OIOS will follow-up on the above-mentioned cases.
Need to minimize overtime of the drivers
24. As stated above, OIOS noticed that the overtime and night differential paid to the
drivers increased significantly during the review period. OIOS undertook a critical review of
the increase to determine whether the increase is adequately justified and to determine
whether there is scope to minimize overtime to the drivers. OIOS relied on the internal
memorandums and documents maintained in the Central Support Services, UNOG, and the
relevant statistics maintained in the database.
25. According to ST/AI/387, all official vehicles will be considered as part of a pool,
available for all operational functions of the office concerned. Accordingly, since October
1999, the drivers Sub-Unit, Transportation and Travel Unit, Purchase and Transportation
Section, UNOG, had been organized as a pool, where all drivers were rotated morning and
afternoon shifts and posts (shift system). The Sub-Unit is composed of five drivers and one
supervisor and is equipped with three vehicles. The drivers are servicing mainly the Director-
General of UNOG, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Executive Secretary of
ECE and other high-ranking officials. The shift system allowed keeping the overtime under
control as the drivers mutually covered one another.
26. In September 2002, an additional driver was recruited and the shift system was
revised. Since January 2003, two drivers and one vehicle were exclusively assigned to the DG
of UNOG on a full time basis, except when the Secretary-General visits Geneva. In addition
to this, the threshold of 40 hours of overtime in a month was raised to unlimited levels in
April 2001. OIOS noted that these measures impacted the accumulation of overtime by any
one of the drivers, as it was no longer possible to balance the overtime hours.
27. According to ST/AI/337, the heads of the respective offices may be assigned a vehicle
on a full-time basis at locations other than New York, Geneva and Vienna. The full-time
assignment of a vehicle and two drivers to the DG, UNOG is therefore not in line with
Organization's policy on the provision and use of official cars, and should be discontinued,
unless the Secretary-General changes the Organization's policy.
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28. According to the statistics available on the usage of drivers' services by UNOG, the
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR), OIOS noticed the following:
o An average of 600 hours in a year was recorded under UNOG from 1998 to 2001. The
annual total increased to 1,020 hours in 2002. Despite the recruitment of an additional
driver, overtime further increased to 1,344 hours in 2003 and 1,544 hours in 2004.
o During weekends and official holidays the cumulative overtime accrued by the two
drivers exclusively assigned to the DG, UNOG had even increased fourfold from an
average of 200 hours in the last four years to 805 hours in 2004.
o According to the overtime records maintained by the drivers, a significant amount of
overtime in 2003 and 2004 was accumulated in instances, where the official purpose
was not obvious. OIOS is further looking into the issue.
o At OHCHR overtime was fluctuating over the last six years, ranging from a low of
386 hours in 2000 to a peak of 883 hours in 2004. At ECE, overtime increased
steadily from 182 in 2002 to 398 hours in 2004.
29. According to ST/AI/337, official cars may be used only for official business within
working hours, but not for transportation to and from work. OIOS noted that vehicles were
used frequently by heads of offices for transportation to and from work, which is not in
compliance with the Organization's policy. OHRM has confirmed that the policy outlined in
ST/AI/337 is still valid, but wanted to bring the issues raised to the attention of DM/OCSS to
review the policy and determine a need for modification, if any. As recommended by OIOS,
UNOG Division of Administration has reminded the heads of offices in Geneva, which are
regular users of official cars, of the rules governing the use of official vehicles.
Recommendations:
UNOG Division of Administration should fully implement
pooling of all official cars with a shift system for drivers in
order to minimize overtime work, ensuring that vehicle
normally used by the Director-General is made available for
other official requirements, when not required by the DG for
official purposes (Rec. 05).
30. UNOG stated that the recommendations had been implemented prior to the audit and
that the Division of Administration and Office of the Director-General, UNOG, OHCHR and
ECE and the drivers were informed in February 2005 of new procedures to exercise a better
control of overtime. UNOG also drew attention to the specific security requirements
("defensive driving") and related aspects, which may arise from a too open use of vehicles
assigned to VIPs. OIOS welcomes the steps already taken to make better use of the official
vehicles and drivers and to minimize drivers' overtime. OIOS will close these
recommendations upon receipt of documentation showing that all official vehicles and their
drivers form part of a pool. Furthermore, UNOG should consider putting drivers on standby
duty rather than paying overtime for periods when actual work requirements are not
foreseeable. OIOS will follow-up on the actual usage at a later stage.
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Inadequacies in the authentication of the overtime documents
31. As the overtime was not authorized in advance, OIOS verified the claims submitted to
ensure that the overtime accrued was adequately authenticated by a responsible official
immediately after the completion of the duty on a daily basis. In respect of the drivers, the
overtime accrued has been authenticated by the responsible officials only in very few cases. In
a number of cases, overtime was authenticated by the users' secretaries only. In most
instances, however, the time of actual duty was not authenticated. As a result, OIOS could not
verify whether the time accrued by the drivers as overtime was actual overtime accrued by
them.
32. OIOS also noticed that staff members, who did not have the authority, authenticated
the overtime. In the Security and Safety Section, a number of claims were authenticated and
signed by non-designated persons. The Chief of Security and Safety Section has delegated to
the supervisors of Units to authenticate overtime claims. However, OIOS noticed several
claims that were authenticated and signed by Sergeants and Lieutenants. Moreover, in a few
claims, the claimant himself authenticated his own overtime. In some cases, the claims were
not authenticated, however they were processed and payments were made. OIOS also noted
few instances in which the overtime figures were overwritten after authentication. The
modifications were not countersigned. These inadequacies in the authentication had the risk
of potential abuse and inappropriate claims of overtime, and need to be addressed as a matter
of priority. At the time of the audit, Security and Safety Section was issuing an internal memo
stipulating that authority lower than supervisors of Units should not authenticate OT claim.
Recommendation:
UNOG Division of Administration should strengthen the
process of certification of the overtime claims so that the risks
of abuse or inappropriate claims are managed effectively
(Rec. 06).
33. UNOG accepted this recommendation. OIOS will consider this recommendation as
implemented upon receipt and verification of the new certification procedures for overtime.
V. FURTHER ACTIONS REQUIRED ON RECOMMENDATIONS
34. OIOS monitors the implementation of its audit recommendations for reporting to
the Secretary-General and to the General Assembly. The responses received on
the audit recommendations contained in the draft report have been recorded in our
recommendations database. In order to record full implementation, the actions
described in the following table are required:
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Recommendation No. Action/document required to close the recommendation
1* Receipt of results of review and revision of provisions in
Appendix B for Geneva governing compensation for overtime
and night differential.
2* Receipt of guidelines on regular monitoring of overtime or a
copy of memos to managers on the status of overtime in their
respective programmes or activities.
3* Receipt and verification of overtime statistics for the period July
to October 2005.
4 Receipt of UNOG's advice to all offices concerned and of
statistics and payments for overtime per staff member for the
period July to October 2005.
5* Receipt of documentation showing that all vehicles and drivers
form part of a pool.
6 Receipt and verification of new certification procedures of
overtime.
* Critical recommendations
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
35. I wish to express my appreciation for the assistance and cooperation extended to the
auditors by the staff of UNOG.
Egbert C. Kaltenbach, Director
Internal Audit Division II
Office of Internal Oversight Services
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