Slip
and Fall in UN
Cafeteria Amid
Layoffs &
GA Coffee Shop
Closure, No
X-Ray Since
Sandy
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 6 –
The UN
cafeteria was
in an uproar
on
Wednesday
after one
woman then
another
slipped on a
negligently
wet
floor and was
injured.
The
first faller,
a journalist
member of the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access, was
helped by UN
Security and
the line,
largely
Spanish
speaking staff
of the UN
contractor,
Aramark. They
called and
exclusively
told Inner
City Press
that their new
manager, Gene
Hood,
disappeared
into his
office after
the slip and
fall.
Previous
manager
Ron and his
young Events
colleague were
fired or laid
off. Several
Aramark
employees,
seeing lay
offs in their
future, asked
Inner City
Press when it
arrived on the
scene, with
the floor
still
wet, “When are
they
re-opening the
fourth floor”
Delegates
Dining
Room?
At
the February
5 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky:
Inner
City Press: a
decision was
made on Friday
that closed
the coffee
shop
underneath the
General
Assembly. And
so, obviously
the workers
were
somewhat
concerned that
they can no
longer work
there. But it
led to
the question,
when is in
fact the GA
building going
to be closed
for
renovations?
Was this
closed on
Friday because
of that or is
it not
until May, as
some people
say, and if
so, why did
the contractor
Aramark stop
providing this
service and
also employing
the workers?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I don’t have
anything for
you. You would
need to speak
to the
contractor
directly
yourself if
you wish to.
If I hear
anything
further on
that I will
let you know.
With regard to
the
renovation of
the General
Assembly and
that whole
area, I’d have
to
check with the
Capital Master
Plan people
because I do
not have that
at hand, okay?
Yes?
The
Capital Master
Plan's genial
spokesman
Werner Schmidt
has
described to
Inner City
Press how the
General
Assembly will
be moved
to Conference
Room 2 and the
ECOSOC chamber
in the North
Lawn
building.
But he said he
cannot answer
for the
contractor
Aramark,
including
about staff
complaints
about the
cessation of
hot food
service in the
DC-1 building.
Who
signed and
oversees this
contract with
Aramark? How
can they treat
workers this
way, right in
the UN
building?
When
the
FUNCA member
who fell was
finally helped
into a wheel
chair she
was told that
“because of
Hurricane
Sandy,” the UN
Medical
Service can no
longer do
X-rays.
So where
were they
taking her,
and
for what?
The issue, of
course, is
immunity. No
matter how
negligent
things get at
the UN, can
anyone sue?
Watch this
site.
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