UN's
Staff
Relations "Hit
Low," Calls
for Election,
Opposing
Outsourcing
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 5 --
While the UN
preaches about
elections
around
the world,
most recently
in Kovoso and
the Maldives,
inside the UN
in
New York
protest is
growing to the
delay in UN
Staff Union
elections,
amid an
attempt to
forgo term
limits.
This
happen as
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
proposes
budget cuts
and the
elimination of
posts -- that
is, jobs.
Similar cuts
are proposed
in
the UN
Development
Program and
also UNICEF,
with talk of
"nodes,"
under Anthony
Lake,
outsourcing
and
off-shoring
jobs from New
York.
These
were denounced
by many
speakers at an
October 31
meeting of the
Staff
Union at which
the
"caretaker"
leadership was
asked to hold
elections. A
speaker
raising this
was cut off in
the meeting.
Now
this has gone
out:
Subject:
Interference
With Election
For 45th Staff
Council And
The Leadership
of The UN
Staff Union
From: Staff
Representative
Unit 5
Date:
Tue, Nov 5,
2013 at 6:40
PM
To: [REDACTED]
My
fellow staff
representatives,
We
have just had
an Emergency
General
Meeting on 30
October 2013
where
the Staff
expressed
dismay at the
delayed
elections.
Considering
that the Staff
Council has
been in a
"caretaker
mode" since
July 2013, the
Staff Council
must not
interfere or
be seen as
attempting to
derail the
election
process which
is already
underway.
The Council
has pronounced
its concern in
Resolution
No. 37 ,
"Concerned
that the
elections for
the 45th Staff
Council and
the
leadership of
the UN Staff
Union have
been delayed;"
and the
Council should
not continue
with, be a
party to or
endorse any
action
that will
delay the
elections
further.
My
Unit (Unit 5),
strongly
disassociates
itself from
any such
attempts
to undermine
the election
process.
Regards,
Staff
Representative
Unit 5
Even
the president
agreed that
the current
situation is
the worst ever
in
terms of UN
staff -
management
relations,
following the
Mexico City
meltdown,
which Inner
City Press covered
here.
A review of
the October 31
meeting,
beyond the
shouting down
of insurgents,
reflects deep
staff concern
at the cut-backs.
Watch this
site.
, 
