At
UN,
Dining Room Layoffs Aug 16, After School Program Will Not Be
Replaced in Midtown This Fall
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 12 -- Despite its responsibilities for planning in
such places as Darfur and now Pakistan, the UN while renovating its
headquarters in New York appears to have thought little through.
As
Inner City Press exclusively reported, the UN announced the closure
of its after school program for the children of staff members on less
than a week's notice. Today, it acknowledged it will not find a
replacement location in midtown Manhattan this Fall.
Likewise,
while
the UN's Delegates Dining Room moved from the 4th floor to a
curtained off area of the cafeteria, no thought was given to how
diners could get to the new location. With business declining, the
UN's
contractor Aramark said they would close the DDR from August 6
to September 20.
After
Inner City
Press and then others asked questions about the treatment of the
workers, the workers were told it would stay open. Then, an August 10
letter said it will close on August 16. Click here to see the letter.
Even
a UN
spokesperson has opined that this will lower the workers' morale. But
the Capital Master Plan and Department of Management do not appear to
care, at least to the workers.
UN's Ban and CMP Advisory Board, layoffs not shown
Here
is the
Department of Management's August 12 “Update on the after-school
programme” --
Posted:
Thursday,
12 August 2010, New York | Author: DM
You
may
recall that the after-school programme that was run in the
Secretariat had to be cancelled at the end of the school year in June
2010 as it was not deemed safe to accommodate children in an active
construction site.
A
meeting
was held yesterday to brief the parents on the progress that
the Secretariat made in identifying alternative arrangements.
For
this
fall, OHRM explored the option of including the children in the
UN after-school programme at the United Nations International School
(UNIS). Final approval for the additional spaces in this after-school
programme is expected in the last week of August from UNIS
administrators. The 22 children who were enroled [sic] in the 2010
after-school programme already attend UNIS until 3 p.m. each day.
The
Secretariat
will continue to work with concerned parents to
facilitate registration in the UNIS after-school programme for the
fall term.
For
the
longer term, the Secretariat will continue to explore alternate
options, including a location in midtown, which despite concerted
efforts proved not to be feasible for the fall 2010 term.
This is the UN-inverted pyramid style: key phrase left
for the end: not feasible. Great planning. Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN,
Six
Week Layoff Imposed on Food Workers, Waterless Bar & CMP's
Spooky Routes, Part Two
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
29 -- While the UN preaches about increasing employment
and the dignity of labor, in its headquarters building twenty more
workers, among the lowest income on the campus, are about to be
summarily laid off.
Cooks
and
waiters
in what remains of the Delegates' Dining Room have this week been
told that they will no be needed, at least between August 6 and
September 20, with the UN General Debate begins.
In
a series of
interviews with those impacted, it was pointed out to Inner City
Press that the UN's Delegates' Dining Room never went on furlough
before, nor were people laid off “until Ban Ki-moon.” Others
blamed Ban's chief of Management, Angela Kane.
Inner
City
Press
pointed out that the likely excuse will be the Capital Master Plan
reconstruction. Already the Delegates' Dining Room was moved from the
fourth floor of the Secretariat Building down to a curtained off
portion of the first floor cafeteria. Twenty people were jettisoned
during that move, a waiter told Inner City Press. “Now, twenty
more.”
While
those
impacted
work for the UN's contractor Aramark, they point out that
Aramark signed a new deal with the UN knowing full well about the
Capital Master Plan. More than one of them asked, “Is that contract
being changed now?” Watch this space.
To be
constructive, non-UN customers of the Delegates' Dining Room can no
longer easily access it, as they are not allowed in through the 42nd
Street gate. There is good food, but not good enough to justify an
obstacle course...
UN's Ban and rosy CMP: spooky routes and layoffs not shown
At
the
other end of the UN campus, the supposed replacement of the
Delegates' Lounge is a mere metal booth with locked up liquor bottles
and no running water. There's been walk of it moving out from the
drab area by computer terminals to the front of the second floor,
windowless but at least more centrally located. But it has yet to
happen.
“The
UN is dying,” more than one person has said. Another
joked, it's a wonder that this didn't make it into Inga Britt
Ahlenius' end of assignment report.
Finally,
for now, the route from the UN's No Whistleblower press zone
to the Security Council has gotten even more surreal, with thick cables
running from the ceiling of the garage reporters and others pass
through. Even this route is now under fire, with CMP chief Adlerstein
planning construction right at the entrance to the basement area the
Security Council is in.
Another
door is being prepared. But Adlerstein hasn't spoken to the
press or taken questions in a long time -- perhaps understandably.
Watch this site.
, 
