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The meeting held during the Knowledge Sharing Week aimed
to foster discussion between outposted and HQ staff, assess
the requirements and concerns of outposted staff, and report
achievements of the Principal Staff Association during 2004.
About 30 people attended.
One highly welcomed advance is that outposted staff can now
directly write/respond to groups set up at HQ such as the
PSA.
There was a very active discussion about health insurance
and the implications of the recent changes in AIARC. Many
staff members were not aware of the current health insurance
conditions and most attendees were concerned about the implications
of the current system. The most pressing issue identified
is the lack of health security once leaving the CG.
Health insurance has been a priority issue for several years
now; however, based on the comments of outposted staff, very
few staff members from other centers are aware of the health
insurance conditions offered at these centers through AIARC-Van
Breda. One staff member commented that a colleague at another
center has been worried about the legality of the health insurance
system and has asked a lawyer to look into the matter.
Health insurance therefore continues to be the most pressing
issue for IRS. The AIARC should look for solutions and ensure
that staff members across centers are aware of the risks of
the current system, thus allowing staff to make personal adjustments
to ensure long-term social security. The CIAT PSA asked the
AIARC to repeatedly inform staff across centers and encourage
a transparent discussion. However, no reply has been received
to date.
The health insurance coverage of children of staff studying
at different locations also presents ambiguities and could
lead to a situation in which they may be temporarily without
insurance. This is unacceptable and the PSA has requested
AIARC to find ways to deal with this issue.
Other issues raised by staff had to do with the complicated
system for making claims over the Web, the experiences of
staff varying broadly. There appears to be a need for AIARC
to again clarify procedures. Several staff members questioned
the process of personal mail charges for claims.
Another related issue is that medical evacuation procedures
are still not clear to many staff members, and many have apparently
not received the MEDEX information circulated earlier. We
recommend that the draft policy on this topic previously prepared
by CIAT administration be widely circulated for clarification
and comments. The same holds for the previous MEDEX information.
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