At
UN, "Scam" of
Promotions
& Exam in
Security
Department Hit
by
Judge, Oh
Censorship
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 2 -- At
the end of May
the UN Dispute
Tribunal put
on
its web site a
decision
which confirms
criticisms
long made of
fairness in
the UN
Department of
Safety and
Security by
whistleblowing
Security
officers and
Inner City
Press.
It
all began, in
a sense, with
a leaked
master plan of
promotion
which
Inner City
Press obtained
and published
in 2009
entititled Possible
Transfers
and
Assignments /
Reassignments." The
list
undermined the
credibility of
interviews
that were
being
conducted,
implying that
some decisions
have already
been made.
And
so a Panel was
set up, in UN
style, to
investigate.
But chief Bruno
Henn refused
to be
interviewed by
the Panel,
Inner City
Press
learned and
published.
Now,
sources say,
it is David
Bongi taking
the role.
Inner City
Press
covered him
along with Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, Under
Secretary
General Greg
Starr, failing
to back up UN
Security after
they were
beaten by
guards for
Turkey's
Erdogan.
Inner
City Press
covered Bongi
most recently
after exposing
the cover-up
of
14 kilograms
of cocaine in
the UN mail
room.
This exclusive
was stolen
without credit
by Reuters,
Bloomberg,
and AFP;
the
Turkish
security abuse
story was
stolen without
credit by big
media at the
UN, who now
after
Inner City
Press
complained
have set
up their own
Panel to seek
to
expel Inner
City Press,
after trying
to censor the
Press. (That
fight delayed
this
publication by
two days). The
UN Dispute
Tribunal
probably can't
take
that case: but
a real court
could.
Here
is from the UNDT
decision put
on the
Internet in
late May:
45.
Thus,
there are
significant
doubts whether
the reason for
the
proposed
exercise is
bona fide as
it appears
unsupported by
the
facts. If this
exercise were
due to the CMP
budget
limitations,
then
the 24 regular
budget posts
would not be
included in
the list of
posts open for
vacancies.
Furthermore,
the existence
of an actual
restructuring
plan, as
submitted by
the
Respondent, is
doubtful. No
evidence of
the existence
of an actual
restructuring
plan has been
provided. The
only remotely
relevant
record
provided to
the Tribunal
is an undated
document
“Basic
information on
evaluation
criteria
for the
Security
Officer
selection
process”,
which
generally
explains the
proposed
assessment
process.
However, the
status and the
authorship of
this document
have not been
explained to
the Tribunal.
Further, the
internal
vacancy
announcement
issued in
April 2012
does
not indicate
how many posts
are being
advertised. In
addition,
although the
Respondent
submits that
the funding
for the
Applicants’
posts will no
longer be
available, he
does not state
when exactly
such funding
will cease—in
fact, it
appears that
CMP-related
funding may be
available at
least until
2013 (see
Report of the
Secretary-General,
“Associated
costs related
to the capital
master
plan”,
A/63/582 (3
December
2008),
providing
estimated
costs for
2008–2013). It
is unclear on
what basis the
Respondent
submits that
“cutbacks
demand a
reduction from
85 Security
Officer
positions to
49 Security
Officer
positions”.
The sole
document
proffered in
support of
this
proposition—A/63/582—
does not
appear to
contain
this
information.
Thus, in view
of the factors
above,
substantial
doubts exist
with the
lawfulness of
the proposed
exercise.
56.
The
Tribunal gave
serious
consideration
to the issue
of the
duration
of the
suspension and
finds that, on
the
information
before it, the
exercise in
its present
form cannot
continue and
the suspension
on
the exercise
in its current
parameters
will remain in
place until
this case is
disposed of on
the merits.
There is
obviously a
need to
have some form
of resolution
of the
situation in
SSS, and the
present
judgment
should not be
interpreted
otherwise.
Whatever
process is
going to be
eventually
applied, even
in the absence
of a properly
promulgated
administrative
issuance, such
process must
be conducted
in compliance
with the basic
standards of
fairness and
reasonableness
and it must be
properly
documented.
Order
57.
The
decision
requiring the
Applicants to
undergo a
competitive
process
announced in
the SSS
bulletin for
6–9 April 2012
being
found prima
facie
unlawful, the
Tribunal
orders
suspension of
the
implementation
of the
decision to
carry out the
said
competitive
process until
the present
case is
disposed of on
the merits.
We'll
have more on
all this -
watch this
site.