The ECA Staff Union was established in accordance to the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations as indicated in Article 8: “The Secretary-General shall establish and maintain continuous contact and communication with the staff in order to ensure effective participation of the staff in identifying, examining and resolving issues relating to staff welfare, including conditions of work, general conditions of life and other human resources policies… Staff Representative bodies shall be established and shall be entitled to initiate proposals to the Secretary General for the purpose of staff welfare”.
The functions of staff representatives are official. Staff representatives shall have the same rights, duties obligations and privileges as other staff members of the United Nations under the Staff Regulations and Rules and shall enjoy protection against any discriminatory treatment or prejudicial action based on their status or activities as staff representatives. “No staff member shall threaten, retaliate against or attempt to retaliate against a staff representative exercising his or her functions.”
The General Meeting is the highest deliberative and decision making organ of the ECA Staff Union.
The oversight body of the ECA Staff Union is the Council, which is composed of representatives of ECA Divisions and Sub Regional Offices.
Activities of the Staff Union are coordinated by the Executive Committee, headed by the President of the Union, who runs the daily operations of the Union Office and leads negotiations with Management.