preliminary results sierra leone dpg harmonization exercise january 2010
TRANSCRIPT
PRELIMINARY RESULTSPRELIMINARY RESULTSSierra Leone DPG Harmonization Exercise
January 2010
Objectives• The survey was requested to explore
Salary top-ups and non-salary incentives to counterparts and PIU staff
Workshop allowances, sitting fees DSA rates/mission allowances
• Partners were enthusiastic and wanted also Local staff and consultant allowances Insurance conditions (health, social) Rules on international trainings etc
Setting expectations• The survey is meant only as a first step
Snapshot of our rules and practices Basis for discussion amongst us
• It by design has clear limitationsBased on information given by partnersNo time to detail actual practicesWide differences in rules, terminology
etc complicate comparisonsNOT a salary survey
REMUNERATING OFFICIALS AND CIVIL SERVANTSREMUNERATING OFFICIALS AND CIVIL SERVANTS
Part One
• The rates of salary top-ups reported vary very substantially
• Quite striking for the senior category counterparts (16x)
• Span actually larger for middle (44x) and support (72x) levels
Top-Ups
Top-Ups
• But few agencies report providing top-ups to counterparts (see fig.)
• Anecdotal evidence suggests it is more common than that
• Due to disconnect between HR/operations policies and actual practices in the programmes?
• Because full salaries are used rather than top-ups?• If we want to dig deeper, each agency will need to
gather detailed info on actual programme practices
On Salaries and Top-Ups• Important to note the distinction between top-
ups and straight salaries Top-ups are given to civil servants, often
as a multiple of their base (gov’t)_ salarySalaries are provided to project (PIU) staff
and (long term) consultants• The latter are generally far higher: in the
thousands vs. in the hundreds (USD)• Civil servants can also be salaried—if allowed
on project staff or consultancy contracts• If so, they follow standard salary scales• No separate modalities or rules apply
Civil Servant Consultants
• Another way to add monetary incentives for counterparts is consultancy contracts Do agencies engage in such contracts? If so, are there any parameters limiting
and regulating the practice (e.g. caps)?
• Here, remuneration levels are fixed: Standard consultant salary scales apply These are generally set at HQ level Levels thus hard to harmonize locally
Civil Servant Consultants
Allowed?Allowed? Capped?Capped?
• Only 1/5 allow it; all of whom use time limits
The grey zone
• It appears PIU salaries are frequently established on a more or less ad hoc basis
Sometimes based on normal salary scalesSometimes fixed in the project documents Sometimes agreed in Steering Committee
• The basis for calculation thus varies
• No clear, consistent framework is used
• Clarifying practices here will require each of us to gather info on what is actually done
NON-SALARY INCENTIVESNON-SALARY INCENTIVESPart Two
One very distinct result
• No agency provides non-salary incentives to government counterparts or consultants
• I.e. no housing, medical or dependent allowances, health or social insurance, phone or transport allowances
• Neither UN/donors nor INGOs do this• But most of them do give various such
allowances to core staff and project staff• The levels provided differ very significantly
Core Staff Housing Allowance
All organizationsAll organizations
• Half of organizations give, but levels vary
Core Staff Housing Allowance
• UN/donors and INGOs differ substantially• No UN/donors give to project staff, only core
Core Staff Housing Allowance
• The spread within groups is also substantial• In senior category, high/low ratio is 56x
INGOs onlyINGOs only
Project Staff Housing Allowance
Provided?• Many agencies do not employ project staff—only core staff & consultants
• They show up as n/a in the chart
• Only 1/5 of those who employ project staff give them housing allowances
Health Insurance• No one gives to counterparts or consultants• But most do to core, many to project staff
Life Insurance• No one gives to counterparts or consultants• But many do to core and project staff
Pension• No one gives to counterparts or consultants• But most do to core, many to project staff
EVENT HONORARIA AND ALLOWANCESEVENT HONORARIA AND ALLOWANCES
Part Three
Event honoraria• 40% pay resource persons at events• Of these, only just over half use fixed rates
Event honoraria• 22% pay event chairs and moderators• Again, a large minority doesn’t use set rates
Event honoraria• For chairs, rates are quite harmonized• For resource persons, the range is greater
Event transport/taxi fees• Half of respondents report giving taxi fees• Amounts vary quite significantly
DAILY SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCESDAILY SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCESPart Four
Upcountry DSA• UN/donor upcountry rates differ greatly• INGO rates are much lower, more even
Freetown DSA• The Freetown average DSA is higher • But the range of DSA rates is equally large
ALSO CONTAINED IN THE REPORTALSO CONTAINED IN THE REPORT
The report also covers
• Dependent allowances
• Medical allowances
• Phone allowances
• Work transport allowances
• Rules around international trainings
• DSA breakdowns (meals/accommodation)