d) The second Part of the 9.6 pet cent inclease ln Post adjustrnent lndex for Nev York ttas euopended by ICSC and flaa not lmPlemented by the Secretaly- General ag Annex I to the Staff Regulatlons' so as to becomerran lntegrAl Part of these regulatlons and condequently of etaff member6t contractsrr; €) FICSA lncorrectLy etates that 6taff membere are entitled to requlre appllcatlon of the four-nonth rule whereby rrthe entltlement to a hlgher class becornee due aE soon aa the relevaot lndex has rernalned above the threahold leve1 over four consecutlve months"' 24/ 45. It ehould be noted that the ICSC 8ecletarlat al€o aPpllee th18 rule fpragheticallytt, lrlthout any reference to the Noblemat!e prlnclPle and relevent Ceneial e.esemtly resolutloni. Even more so' clalnlng-that non-conPllance wlth the rule t'could forrn the bs8le of a legal challengerr3l/' gtvee the lrnPreBelon that 1ts aPplicatlon i6 automatlc and can wlden the margin wlthout llmits (24 per cent ts not too htgh). Thls tt'ould produce the unteneble sltuatlon of ietermlnlng the co6t-of-1lvlng index for the b6se clty and then the nargln could cllnb to any hetght. 46. The ln€pectors belteve that thls approach ls hardly 6ensible' They cannot egree io the above lntelPretatiolt of the rule' They belleve that lt should be 6pp11ed only rrithin the limlts of the rnalgln ' and that tt should not be wtdenid, even lf the cost-of-livln8 lndex exceeded the required Level for the change. Besldes, it should be renembered that the implementatlon of the rule itill requlres ao ectlon on the part of IcsC and the secretary- General. Therefore they belleve that tie four-month lule clted by FIcsA in favou! of appeallng to UNAT is not relevent. 47. In conclusion, the Inspectors vould lIke to e*prees thelr ol{n vie\te nhich the Adftlnl6tratlve Trltunal may w16h to take into account when consider-
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the application of a rule regarding cost-of-living index adjustments for staff members in New York, as well as the interpretation of a specific provision in the Staff Regulations. The language used is formal and bureaucratic, suggesting a context related to international organizations or governance. The discussion of economic and financial concepts, such as indexes and thresholds, also points towards an economic or administrative context.

**Category**
Employment, International trade