UNITED
NATIONS, June
13 -- How
different is
the UN from
sneaker or
clothing
chains which
say they are
not
responsible
for how their
contractors
treat workers,
in Bangladesh
for example?
This
month the UN
transferred
the contract
for the audio
- visual
technicians
who work in
the UN, some
for more than
a decade, to a
company called
TeamPeople,
which
immediately
put the jobs
up for bid
on CraigsList.
Workers say it
is to break
the union.
At
the June
13 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
the following:
Inner
City Press:
This is a
labor
question. The
contract for
the
audio-visual
services was
recently
awarded, and
the company
that got
it is
[inaudible]. [ICP
note: it's
TeamPeople.]
They put out a
press
release, you
know, saying
how, saying a
number of
things.
They’ve
also started
recruiting
even on
Craigslist.
So, I wanted
to know two
things. One,
I’m told that
there is some
kind of UN
rules against
using UN names
in a corporate
press release.
I wonder if this
violates
the rule
or if there
was some
waiver. Two,
how this
impacts
the people
currently
working at the
stakeout.
They’ve been
told to
reapply for
their jobs.
Are they in
the same
position as
anyone, you
know, applying
over
Craigslist? Or
there is some
provision for
people that
have worked
here for
decades to
have a leg-up
in
continuing to
work?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I think I will
be able to
provide you
something on
that a
little bit
later,
Matthew.
And
sure enough,
after close of
business the
following came
in:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Thu, Jun
13, 2013
at 5:55 PM
Subject: Your
questions on
the new
audiovisual
contrac
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
the
press release
issued by
TeamPeople: As
a general
rule, the use
of
the UN name is
reserved for
official
purposes and
is not
authorized
for commercial
purposes. This
general
prohibition is
included in
our
general
conditions of
contract and
forms part of
every contract
we
conclude with
vendors.
However, this
prohibition
does not
extend to
the provision
of purely
factual
information.
As
for the
audiovisual
contract and
its impact on
current
employees: The
new contractor
has sole
responsibility
for supplying
the
technicians,
i.e. sound
engineers,
camera
operators and
studio
technicians.
The
UN's contract
is with the
contractor
only and the
UN is not
involved
in the
contractor's
hiring
processes.
So
the "purely
factual"
loophole eats
up the
prohibition on
commercial use
of the UN's
name, at
least under
Ban Ki-moon.
Worse,
the second
paragraph
could come
write out of
the past
playbook of
Nike or Kathy
Lee Gifford.
Even with
regard to the
cafeteria
workers
of UN
contractor
Aramark, which
is delaying
opening the
Delegates'
Lounge and
Dining Room
while renting
them out for
big money on
weekends, the
UN said it had
some concern.
But on A/V?
Watch this
site.
, 
