Judgment No. 486
Decision
THE COMPLAINT IS DISMISSED.
Consideration 8
Extract:
A statement by the Director of a practice which he intends to follow can under certain conditions establish a contractual obligation arising out of the relationship created by the appointment. Such statements often relate to the way in which the Director intends to administer a staff rule and thus clarify and amplify it. "But just as a staff rule must not conflict with the staff regulation under which it is made, so a statement of practice must not conflict with the rule which it is elaborating."
Keywords
practice; precedence of rules; staff regulations and rules; enforcement; provision; executive head; binding character
Consideration 6
Extract:
The complainant moved from grade GS.8 to P.2. "The Tribunal doubts whether the change was an appointment of any sort; the complainant remained in the same post which was reclassified into a higher grade. But anyway appointment is a word whose meaning depends upon the context. It can be used to mean an appointment to the staff of [the organization] or an appointment to a post on the staff. [Here] it is clearly being used in the former sense, as an appointment to the service. [...] It is not and cannot be contended that in January 1979 the complainant concluded one period of service and without changing his post embarked upon another. This solution must be rejected."
Keywords
post classification; general service category; professional category; promotion; appointment; consequence
Considerations 7-8
Extract:
It is organization policy to treat a promotion from GS grades to P category as justifying a review of the place of residence. "There is ample evidence that this was the stated policy, though [...] there is no evidence in the dossier of the policy being put into practice. [...] The question is therefore whether it is within the competence of the Tribunal to enforce a rule of policy or practice." A statement by the Director-General explaining a practice which he intends to follow can under certain circumstances create a contractual obligation arising out of the relationship created by the appointment. The Tribunal is competent to hear the complaint.
Keywords
competence of tribunal; practice; amendment to the rules; general service category; professional category; promotion; contract; binding character
Consideration 4
Extract:
"It is to be noted that the change in the complainant's situation affected [statutory] entitlements [...] these are expatriate entitlements designed for recruits from abroad who will wish to maintain their contacts with the home country, the most important being grants for home leave and education. They are more freely available to officials in the P grades than to those in the GS."
Keywords
general service category; professional category; promotion; allowance; education expenses; home leave; consequence; right
Consideration 8
Extract:
"The Tribunal is compétent to hear complaints alleging non-observance of the terms of appointment of officials and of such provisions of the staff regulations as are applicable to the case. The Tribunal has not given a narrow construction to 'terms of appointment'; it has treated the expression as sufficiently wide to cover obligations arising from the relationship created by the appointment."
Keywords
competence of tribunal; iloat statute; interpretation; provision; terms of appointment; contract
Considerations 4 and 8
Extract:
The complainant was promoted from GS to P. This change was not an appointment. Under the stated policy of the organization such a promotion justified a review of the place of residence. But such a statement of practice "must not conflict with the rule which it is elaborating". The applicable provision stipulates that the place determined at the time of appointment should be recognised throughout the service. "This forbids the change of residence which the complainant is asking the Tribunal to order."
Keywords
practice; staff regulations and rules; amendment to the rules; enforcement; provision; general service category; professional category; promotion; contract; local status; residence
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