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ALD - SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS OF SERVICESuccessful candidates for the positions advertised with a duration of 1-3 years will be hired under an ALD contract, which stands for ACTIVITIES OF LIMITED DURATION.1. The main conditions of service with UNDP for international ALD contract holders, who are considered United Nations staff members, are set out below. For further description of the rules governing the administration of benefits, and of the duties, privileges and code of conduct of a United Nations ALD staff member, reference should be made to the following documents:
2. Remuneration is expressed and payable in a net lump sum each month. It is calculated based on a number of elements, principally the level of responsibility of the assignment, the experience and competencies of the individual recruited, and the prevailing international labour market rates. UNDP also makes reference to its salary scales for other similar categories of professional staff when establishing the pay rate for an ALD appointment. 3. Net pay is agreed on by the ALD contract holder and the managing unit at the outset of the assignment, when formalising the contract. It is not adjusted automatically in the course of the contract period. 4. If, at the completion of the contract period (normally 12 months), the two parties agree to an extension, remuneration will be adjusted accordingly, based a performance evaluation process carried out by the managing unit. 5. As remuneration under the ALD appointment is through a lump sum payment, no additional allowances are paid for spouse, children, educational assistance, language allowance, rental subsidy, etc. United States income tax and social security 6. Remuneration is tax exempt for the vast majority of ALD contract holders. If the ALD contract holder is a citizen or permanent resident (green-card holder) of the United States, he/she may be required to pay state and federal income tax on UNDP income. If this is the case, UNDP reimburses the ALD contract holder for income tax paid as a result of UNDP remuneration. Citizens and permanent residents of the United States must also make contributions to the United States Social Security System. Duration of service 7. ALD appointments are made without any expectation of extension or renewal. However, if an extension is mutually agreed on, an additional period of up to one year may be approved. If successive appointments are approved, the total period of service under continuous ALD appointments may in no circumstance exceed a maximum period of four years. (The normal maximum is three years, the fourth year being exceptional.) Non-pay conditions 8. Some benefits are provided as part of the ALD package, which constitutes a set of social conditions appropriate for UNDP. These benefits are described below. Travel and installation costs 9. Travel and installation expenses in connection with the beginning of the assignment are also payable in a one-time lump sum at the outset of the contract. This amount is intended to help to meet the costs for the following: transportation to duty station (the return portion of the trip is paid at the completion of the assignment); medical examination; passport, visas and other miscellaneous expenses; terminal expenses (e.g., taxis, airport taxes); limited shipment (and insurance) of personal effects to the duty station; and initial installation expenses (including hotel expenses). 10. The installation allowance, including the cost of the airline ticket, is set, as of 1 January 1998, at $12,000, for the ALD contract holder. A portion of this amount (normally 50 per cent) is authorised prior to travel to the duty station (to assist with expenses incurred before departure); the remainder is authorised for payment after the arrival of the ALD contract holder at the duty station. 11. No lump sum allowance is provided at the end of service. The lump sum paid at the beginning of service is intended to cover expenses both at the beginning and end of service. 12. The travel of the ALD contract holder to the duty station from the place of recruitment and the return thereto at the end of the assignment are provided for by UNDP in the form of a full fare economy air ticket or cash payment in lieu of the ticket. 13. At the end of the first year of service, and if extended for a second year (or for a minimum of six months), the ALD contract holder will receive a lump sum payment in the amount of $1,500 ($900 at headquarters). This amount is intended to offset travel or other expenses at the discretion of the ALD contract holder. Such payment is also made at the end of the second and third years, subject to renewal of the ALD appointment for an additional year (or a minimum of six months). 14. Since reasonable additional expenses may arise if the ALD contract holder has family members, the lump sum includes an extra component for recognised dependants. (Dependants are those whom UNDP recognises under its normal rules - spouse and eligible children, excluding secondary dependants - whether they live at the duty station or abroad.) In the case where there is only one recognised dependant (spouse or child), the basic allowance will be increased by 25 per cent ($3,000); if there are two or more recognised dependants, the basic allowance will be increased by 50 per cent ($6,000). For the second, third and fourth years, provided the ALD contract holder is extended for an additional year (or at least six months minimum), the following lump sum payments are provided each year: $1,000 ($600 at headquarters) if there is one recognised dependant, in addition to the ALD contract holder; and $2,000 ($1,200 at headquarters) if there are two or more recognised dependants. These amounts are in addition to the $1,500 ($900 at headquarters) mentioned in paragraph 15. 15. This additional lump sum payment is intended to cover the cost of enabling the family member(s) to join the ALD contract holder at his/her duty station and then travel together periodically; to come to the duty station for periodic visits; or to meet elsewhere. The ALD contract holder may also use the lump sum payment to travel home more frequently for family-related visits or to offset additional expenses involved in maintaining two households when the family does not reside at the duty station. 16. Separate provisions do not exist for unaccompanied luggage, shipment of personal effects or extra accompanied luggage, nor for extra expenses relating to travel to and from airports (terminal expenses) or subsistence allowance while en route. These various travel-related expenditures are expected to be covered by the basic installation allowance. 17. A summary of lump sum payments is presented in the following table.
Annual leave 18. Annual leave for internationally recruited staff, regardless of duty station, is accrued at two and one half days for each full month of continuous service - i.e., 30 working days per year. Annual leave balances unused by the end of contract cannot be commuted to cash. If an extension of the appointment is envisaged, annual leave can be carried over (up to a total of 60 days), 31 March being the cut-off date for accumulation of annual leave. Sick leave 19. Entitlement to sick leave (at full pay) is subject to a maximum rate of two working days for each month of continuous service and may be accumulated during the course of the contract, not to exceed 65 days and not commutable to cash at the end of the contract. (Should separation occur before the expiration date of the appointment, sick leave credits are recalculated on the basis of the actual period of service.) A medical certificate must support any absence of more than two consecutive working days. After three uncertified sick leave days in any six-month period, medical certification is required for any further sick leave. If the ALD contract holder surpasses the 24-day sick-leave limit in a twelve-month period, any leave in excess of the limit will be charged against the salary of the appointee. Maternity leave 20. Maternity leave will be granted for 16 consecutive weeks with full pay. Leave will normally commence six weeks prior to the anticipated date of birth upon production of a certificate from a duly qualified practitioner or midwife, indicating the anticipated date of birth. However, at the request of the ALD contract holder and upon production of a certificate from a duly qualified medical practitioner or midwife, the ALD contract holder may continue to work up to two weeks before the anticipated date of birth. The pre-delivery leave will extend to the actual date of birth. The post-delivery leave will extend for a period equivalent to the difference between sixteen weeks and the actual period of pre-delivery leave, subject to a minimum of ten weeks. However, the ALD contract holder, on request, may be permitted to return to work after a minimum period of six weeks following delivery. Official holidays 21. At every duty station, United Nations staff observes nine official holidays. The senior United Nations official establishes the dates each year in consultation with local United Nations organisations. Compensation for death or disability, from any cause 22. The ALD contract holder, as an individual, is covered by war-risk insurance and insurance for service-incurred accident, illness or death. Additional materials describing these provisions are also provided. Medical insurance 23. UNDP policy is to provide for enrolment in one of the UNDP-sponsored medical insurance schemes, with optional and non-subsidised enrolment for recognised dependants. To make these insurance options available, ALD contract holders must be registered on the central United Nations payroll. Until such time, UNDP will provide cash payment ($250) in lieu of medical insurance coverage. Under these arrangements, it is the responsibility of the ALD contract holder to plan for his/her medical insurance coverage privately. (The interim cash payment will cease when the medical insurance becomes available.) Medical evacuation 24. ALD contract holders and recognised dependants residing at the duty station are entitled to medical evacuation. Medical evacuation is used when there is a serious health risk to the individual and emergency medical attention is not satisfactorily available in the country of service. (Medical evacuation relates to travel and not to medical expenses incurred in attending to the health condition.) Medical clearances 25. The ALD contract holder must undergo a full medical examination, the results of which are sent to the United Nations Medical Service for clearance. Only then can the individual begin to work and the letter of appointment be prepared by Office of Human Resources. Pension Fund participation 26. Participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund is mandatory under ALD arrangements. The Pension Fund provides a range of benefits set out in the rules and regulations of the Pension Board, including disability and survivor benefits (in the case of the death of the ALD appointee). If the ALD contract holder terminates his/her contract with the United Nations, and with it Pension Fund participation, with less than five years of contributory service (which will be the case of individuals employed under an ALD appointment), the individual receives his/her contribution plus the accrued interest, according to Pension Fund rules; the accumulated contributions of the United Nations remain with the Pension Fund. 27. If the ALD contract holder is subsequently converted to another type of contract, and the individual reaches at least 5 years of contributory service and is at least 55 years of age, he/she may retire under the Pension Fund or withdraw his/her contributions and a percentage of the United Nations contributions. 28. Each month the ALD contract holder and UNDP make a contribution to the Pension Fund. The share of the ALD contract holder is deducted from the monthly pay. The amount of his/her contribution is established as a percentage (currently 7.9 per cent) of "pensionable remuneration". The contribution of UNDP is established at twice that of the ALD contract holder (15.8 per cent of pensionable remuneration). Levels of pensionable remuneration have been established in reference to those that apply to other similar categories of United Nations system staff. These amounts are revised from time to time. 29. At the time of recruitment, the ALD contract holder must provide certain enrolment information, including the designation of beneficiaries. Part of this process entails furnishing proper certification about one's family members (spouse and children). It will be the responsibility of the ALD contract holder to ensure a timely submission of such certification. Failing to do so with result in the enrolment of the ALD contract holder as a single individual, without certified dependants. Security arrangements 30. UNDP will take whatever steps necessary to protect its staff in the event of civil disorder, warfare, etc. The security arrangements applicable to other internationally recruited staff also cover ALD contract holders. Special conditions 31. For certain designated locations, where the conditions are particularly dangerous or difficult, UNDP provides for one or more of the following special conditions: hazard pay, war-risk insurance (i.e., life insurance), procurement missions, rest and recuperation travel, and domestic security measures. The designation of duty stations and the terms and conditions of these special measures are communicated to the country offices concerned by the Office of Human Resources. Termination indemnity 32. Provisions for a termination indemnity apply in the event that UNDP unilaterally decides to foreshorten the contract of an ALD contract holder. The amount payable is equivalent to one week of net salary for each month of uncompleted service. No termination indemnity is payable if the appointment ends on the original date of expiration. In the event of summary dismissal for serious misconduct, there is no entitlement to either a period of notice or an indemnity payment. ALD nationals at certain locations 33. If the ALD assignment is based in Bonn, Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva, New York or Tokyo and the ALD appointee is a national of that country, he/she should refer to the Terms and Conditions for Local ALD Contracts as certain of the above-mentioned terms and conditions do not apply (paragraphs 11-19, 26, 32-33). |
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