By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 9 --
After UN
spokespeople
declined to
confirm UN
layoff letters
which were
handed out on
January 6,
at a Town Hall
meeting on
January 9
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon was
described as
"heartbroken"
when he signed
the order for
then on
December 31.
That
description
came from
Ban's chief of
staff Susana
Malcorra later
in the
meeting, after
Ban had left.
Before that,
he was for
example asked
by the head of
the staff
union in
Geneva to
focus on merit
and not
nationality in
appointing Under
Secretaries
General.
Ban replied
that merits is
his focus,
saying that in
every case he
interviews at
least three
finalists and
picks only based
on his judgment.
But with
France
controlling
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations
four times in
a row, and the
US and UK
controlling
Political and
Humanitarian
Affairs twice
in a row
respectively,
this is
dubious.
The meeting,
which was
closed door,
began with
technical
snafus, as the
Nairobi duty
station could
not be patched
in, and master
of ceremonies
Yukio Takasu's
voice echoed
as through an
Alpine valley.
The question
from Nairobi
concerned
translators
flying to
Takasu's
native Japan,
for twenty
seven hours,
then having to
report for
duty four
hours after
they got
there, under
rules that
went into
effect in
August 2013.
(These are dubbed
the "Torsella
Rules" for the
just-departed
US Ambassador
for Management
and Reform Joe
Torsella,
whose farewell
was held on
January 6.)
Ban replied,
as he did on
layoffs, that
it was the
General
Assembly's
decision. Many
staff members
have since
contacted
Inner City
Press dubious
of this spin,
asking if it
wasn't Ban's
budget, and
his push. Takasu
for now does
not recognize
any UN staff
union in New
York - which,
an opinion
goes, only
benefits the
Ban administration.
From many of
the questions
at the January
9 Town Hall,
and other
contacts,
there are UN
staff that
mean extremely
well and could
do much
better, under
better middle-
and
upper-level
leadership.
The UN handed
out lay-off
letters to
staff on the
morning of
Monday,
January 6, as
exclusively
reported by
Inner City
Press.
But on January
7, UN
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
refused to
confirm that
the UN had
given out the
"notices of
termination,"
either at the
noon briefing
when Inner
City Press
asked about
them -- video
here and
embedded below
-- or in at
least the
twenty four
hours that
followed.
(When
Inner City
Press asked
again at the
January 8 noon
briefing, Haq
had a prepared
statement to
read-out about
Ban Ki-moon's
move to a
"digital" UN.
Why wasn't
this sent to
Inner City
Press after it
asked the
question on
January 7?
We'll have
more on this.)
On
January 7, Haq
said that the
initial move
would be "Town
Hall" meetings
with staff,
including one
involving
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon.
Here's from
the UN's
January 7
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: there
were people
who work in
the Publishing
Section here
at the UN,
received
letters
yesterday that
seemed to talk
about
separation
from service,
notices of
termination. I
wanted to
know, is that
accurate?
Since the
budget was
adopted in
late December,
have there
been,
essentially,
lay-off
letters
issued, and,
if so, how
many?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: I don’t…
the budget was
only just
agreed to. I
believe that
there’s a
series of Town
Hall meetings
being
conducted with
staff to
reflect on
what the
results of the
budget mean.
So I’ll wait
for those town
hall meetings
to proceed and
then let’s see
whether we can
say anything
further after
that.
Inner
City
Press: I’m
specifically
asking about a
DGACM
[Department
for General
Assembly and
Conference
Management]
meeting that
was held
yesterday at
11:15, at
which letters
were handed
out, called
formal
termination,
notice of
termination
and separation
of service
letters. I
just want your
confirmation
that, prior to
the town hall
and anything
else, that
these letters
did go out.
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: I’m not
aware of
anything like
that. I can
check with
them, but
ultimately the
initial result
of the last
few weeks’
developments
on a budget is
that we’ll be
able to
discuss with
staff through
town hall
meetings. I
believe one of
them was
happening
today with the
Deputy
Secretary-General
and the Chef
de Cabinet. I
believe the
Secretary-General
will also have
town hall
meetings with
staff.
Well,
prior to this
"Town Hall
meeting,"
which Inner
City Press
will also
cover, the
letter DID go
out. Inner
City Press had
on January 6
published the
e-mail
inviting those
to be laid-off
to the meeting
to get the
letter, and
now publishes,
with consent,
one
of the lay-off
letters, here.
The
letters were
dated December
31, 2013 and
were handed
out on January
6, 2013. But
see January 7
noon briefing
Why
would the UN
not confirm
what it did?
In seven hours
after they
were asked,
and the
Department and
even (sub)
Section at
issue was
specified?
The UN
wants to be
perceived in
one way, and
to operate in
another.
This is true
with regard to
freedom of the
press and of
association,
too, as
combated by
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
- for example,
the UN
on January 7
met with
Google's "Head
of Free
Expression"
after Google
banned from
its Search a
leaked
anti-Press
email to the
UN from the
bureau chief
of Reuters
based on a bad
faith
complaint
under the US
Digital
Millennium
Copyright Act.
Now, legal
questions
exist about
these notices
of
termination.
We'll have
more on this.
Watch this
site.
, 
