gross salaries were one and the same: the ratio of one to the other was 100 per cent, not 137 per cent. In 1982, ICSC had recommended an increase in salaries for Professional staff. Had that proposal been adopted, pensionable remuneration would not have been affected, but the pensionable remuneration and gross salaries of Professional staff would have been brought closer into line. Current pensionable remuneration levels were the result of decisions by the General Assembly. If delegations now found them too high, ICSC could perhaps be instructed to look at the question anew. But even that would not remove the need for the 0.75 per cent increase in the contribution rate on 1 January 1984. 38. In considering United Nations pensions, it was important not to become obsessed with the maximum pensions payable in the top grades. Average United Nations pensions were nowhere near $50,000: the largest group of pensioners I ... A/C. 5/38/SR. 4 5 English Page 10 (Mr. Mango) received pensions of between $10,000 and $20,000, and the next largest group received between $20,000 and $30,000. A total of 90 pensioners received benefits of over $50,000. Perhaps, on social grounds, it could be argued that no one shruld receive such an amount, but the effect of those few pensions on the actuarial situation of the Fund was negligible. Delegations should also note that average contributory service by pensioners who had served in ungraded posts was 16 years - about half the maximum. 39. The Belgian representative was right in his estimation that the ratio of pensionable remuneration to gross salary for Professional staff had risen from 117 per cent in July 1981 to 137 per cent, but that was a matter of simple arithmetic. The 8.7 per cent increase approved for 1 October 1981 had applied to 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the pension system and salaries of Professional staff within the United Nations organization. The language used is formal and technical, suggesting a focus on administrative and financial matters. The text also touches on the issue of actuarial calculations and the impact of pension benefits on the Fund, which further supports the idea that the category is related to employment or finance.

**Category**
Employment, Finance