UN staff votes no confidence in Annan management (Reuters)

[Up2Late]

(I don't like this one, I'm very much a fan of Kofi.)

UN staff votes no confidence in Annan management

Thu Mar 9, 2006 07:12 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Staff Union voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to express no confidence in U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his top managers after Annan announced plans to overhaul the U.N. bureaucracy.

A motion "to express a statement of no confidence in the secretary-general and his senior management team" was opposed by just two of the more than 500 U.N. employees attending a closed-door emergency meeting of the staff group, said Staff Union official Guy Candusso. But a U.N. official said the vote at U.N. headquarters did not reflect the views of the far greater number of employees working in the field, who were pleased Annan's overhaul plan would improve their working conditions and career prospects.

Annan explained the plan in a videoconference on Thursday with staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Haiti and Liberia, the world body's five biggest peacekeeping missions, the official said.

Annan earlier this week had unveiled a 33-page report on U.N. management reform that proposed outsourcing some U.N. work or moving staff out of the United States for some translation services, document production, printing and publishing and information technology. He also recommended more financial oversight, simplified hiring and firing procedures, staff buyouts, more training and a modern information system.

(more at link below)

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=11485936&src=rss/worldNews>

[leftchick]

1. I can't help thinking Bolton and Bribes

call me cynical.

[Matilda]

2. My first thought too.

[countingbluecars]

3. Yep, I thought

the same, and throw in a few threats as well.

[tatertop]

4. They just keep working that ol' magic with our tax dollars

[Canuckistanian]

5. While Bolton is there, don't trust anything the UN staff say

Boutros-Ghali was ousted the same way.

[tularetom]

6. It's typical of any reorganization

Some people are going to lose their cushy jobs and they're pissed. Of course they'd vote no confidence in management. My first thought was to blame Bolton for stirring the shit, but on reading the story I think you have a bunch of disgruntled middle managers who had a sweet deal and are now being forced to get off their ass and actually work or are losing their jobs completely.

[Up2Late]

7. kick n/t

:kick: