The Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations System (CCISUA) is an international federation comprised of UN common system staff unions and associations committed to an atmosphere of constructive cooperation in order to provide equitable and effective representation of staff at all levels. CCISUA primarily represents member interests in inter-agency bodies that make decisions and recommendations on conditions of service.

There are three labour federations serving unions and staff associations in the UN system, the other organisations being FICSA and UNISERV.

Industrial Relations in the UN system

Unions and staff associations of the United Nations system are unique because UN staff do not have a single employer: they are employed by the 193 member states. Because they work for an international agency, they are not protected by any national labour legislation or international conventions. Although freedom of association is written into the UN staff regulations, national unions are not recognised, and terms and conditions are negotiated directly with representatives of the member states. The first collective agreement recognised by the UN system was signed with CCISUA affiliate ILO Staff Union in 2000.

UN Staff Regulation (SR) 8.1 allows for staff representative bodies to be established at each UN organisation or mission and for those bodies to represent the interests of the staff. Each UN mission or organisation has established its own union or staff association, and these are affiliated to either CCISUA or FICSA.

Issues for UN staff

UN staff face many of the same issues as workers in national economies. However, there are a number of industrial relations issues that are peculiar to working within the UN system. The most important of these is perhaps the fact the UN staff are not protected by labour legislation, which means that all conditions need to be negotiated directly with employer representatives.

Also of great concern are the dangers to staff working in conflict and other non-secure locations. Many UN staff are killed in the line of duty.
Another area of concern is the prevalence of short-term contracts in the UN system, the lack of job security and long-term career development.

Affiliation

CCISUA shares fraternal links with the wider labour movement through its affiliation to the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), and through the GFTU to the European Trade Union Confederation and the International Trade Union Confederation