Stewart Stogel
Monday, July 7, 2003

"This is past the eleventh hour. It is the eleventh and 1/2 hour," exclaimed a shocked United Nations staff worker, reacting to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan written announcement that the world body will, after more than 50 years, no longer recognize the executive board of the agency's union. The move will effectively shut down the world body's employee union.

The disturbing news was contained in a letter from Annan to U.N. staff union president Rosemary Waters. Annan, who prides himself as a liberal, humanitarian, socialist and world "peace maker," doesn't seem to want his own employees to enjoy the benefit of a progressive society, a worker's union.

According to Annan spokesman Marie Okabe, the union's executive officers have two-year terms that expired July 3, 2003. Elections to fill those slots never took place, so the U.N., under its agreement with the union, is free to "de-recognize" the officers.

The staff union says the issue of election polling monitors became "bogged down" due to internal politics, but it claims it was moving to try and "re-schedule" elections. "This has happened before," explained one union official, adding that the U.N. never reacted by shutting down the union in the past.

Unfortunately for the workers, this time Annan responded by severing ties with the group. Following up, the U.N. moved not only to close the union's offices, but informed the officers to report back to their regular staff positions, effective Monday.

Under its agreement, union executives are elected from the general employee pool, and then given paid sabbaticals by the U.N. to attend to union affairs. That will now be ended.

5,000 Workers Affected

The union covers over 5,000 staffers at U.N. headquarters and some additional workers assigned overseas. Overall, union membership accounts for about 55 percent of staffers in New York. The membership ranges from secretaries, to security officers to department administrators and forms the core of the agency's civil service.

Guy Candusso, a union vice-president, says the organization is at a loss on how to proceed: "We aren't sure of our next step, this has never happened before. But, I am going on vacation."

Union officials also explained that at the current time, a wildcat strike seems unlikely.

Unlike U.S. unions, the U.N. group has no court to appeal to, “existing at the pleasure of the United Nations for the past 50 years,” according to Candusso.

The union believes that Annan's move might be able to be overturned by the 191 member General Assembly. The body, however, is on summer recess and not scheduled to reconvene until mid-September. Meanwhile, Annan is overseas and was not "available" for direct comment. He is not due back in NYC until late in the month.

'Incompetent'

The U.N. staff union has had a tradition of confrontations with U.N. management. Recently, Michael Sassar, a union spokesman, charged that U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard and his staff "are incompetent" and not fit to deal with or speak on behalf of U.N. staffers.

Eckhard's office would not respond to the Sassar charges.

The union believes the U.N. precedent-making moves are directly tied to the announcement last month of a $1 billion capital improvement plan to renovate the U.N. headquarters complex over the next decade.

The union believes that the U.N. drive to employ more temporary, fixed-term contract workers in lieu of full-time, long-term employees is one way the world body hopes to generate some badly needed cash.

"They want us to pay for the capital improvement program," claimed Candusso.

U.N. spokesman Stephan Dujarric denied the allegation that the U.N. was "shutting down" the union and explained that shop stewards will still be recognized. He also invited the union to "elect" new officers.

Candusso responded, however, that the U.N. no longer recognizes the union's executive board -- so who will run the elections? "They want us to hold elections, but they have taken away our ability to hold them."

Candusso further explained that the Annan action has been referred to union attorneys. However, since the U.N. does not recognize the jurisdiction of any court, it is unclear what the attorneys can do.

One veteran U.N. staffer mused: "We know it's every man for himself; this was never really a union to begin with. I am just marking time to retirement."

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