Dear Colleagues,
Despite a strong Union
mobilization, including on the occasion of the General
Meeting held on 29 January, the Director General has
kept his decision to dismiss our colleague Baslan
Qurashi from 1 February on grounds of unsatisfactory
services, alleging that it proved impossible for the
ILO to identify alternative employment opportunities.
The General Meeting had
however sent a clear signal to the Director General
when it reaffirmed its solidarity with Baslan Qurashi,
and expressed its commitment to unite in favour of
any colleague threatened with unfair dismissal.
It was 4 pm on Friday
30 January when the Director General's decision was
communicated to the Chair and the Secretary General
of the Staff Union Committee, then acting as representatives
of Baslan Qurashi - who was awaiting news on the Union
premises.
This same Friday at 5
pm, a delegation of the Staff Union Committee, composed
of the Chair, the 2nd Vice-Chair and the Regional
Titular Representatives including the 3rd Vice-Chair
of the Committee met at their request with the Director
of Cabinet of the Director General.
The delegation expressed
the extreme preoccupation of the Committee and of
the staff as a whole throughout the world concerning
the precedent thus created, and the threats it might
imply for any one's job security in the ILO.
This preoccupation was
reiterated in a letter to the Director General jointly
signed by the Chair of the Staff Union Committee and
the 4 Titular Members representing the Regions, where
emphasis was put on six fundamental demands by staff:
- that the ILO clearly marks its difference with the
ICSC stand and that of other Agencies, reaffirming
that, at far as it was concerned, it continued to
adhere to the concept of career for international
civil servants; - that a decent mechanism for performance
evaluation be established, to replaced a formula the
Governing Body declared outdated almost four years
ago, but remains used to jeopardize staff's legitimate
interests;
- that the Reports'
Board be discontinued in its current format of secret
body holding secret discussions, without any participation
by staff representatives;
- that a joint mechanism
be designed for treating human consequences of official
and hidden restructuring, still dealt with often
merely as bureaucratic and budgetary exercises;
- that a joint mechanism
be established to hear about so-called "individual
cases" in a context allowing for a search for negotiated
solutions to the malfunctions revealed by such cases,
not awaiting that they degenerate into conflicts
where each side indeed ends up as a loser;
- that measures be
taken to remedy the incompetence of some unit chiefs
in the area of industrial relations, which results
into an unacceptable increase in numbers of individual
conflicts.
Clearly, kind words expressing
full understanding for the concerns of staff have
been expressed to the Staff Union Committee delegation.
Note has been taken of staff preoccupation, and of
the reasons motivating those - without however putting
into question the dismissal of Baslan Qurashi, that
is henceforth justified by " attitude ", i.e. "inter-personal
relationship", an area where prevention should have
played a key role to avoid worsening of the conflict.
From the legal stand,
Me Sicault will, for the Staff Union Committee, take
care of Baslan Qurashi's interests. The case is now
with the ILO Administrative Tribunal.
OTHERWISE, AND AS FAR
AS JOB SECURITY IS CONCERNED, NICE WORDS OBVIOUSLY
DO NOT MAKE IT …
The Staff Union Committee
will therefore call upon you during the next few days
to support your demands. Do remain, let us be on alert!
