[A2k] Unofficial English translation of Le Temps article: Crisis at South Centre in Geneva

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Crisis at South Centre in Geneva
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JUSTICE. Five ex-staff members challenge=A0their dismissal=A0and seek
Swiss=A0intervention.
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Ram Etwareea.
Thursday 13 September 2007
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The South Centre, an intergovernmental organization based in Geneva, is
going through a bad time. Five staff members whose services were
terminated this summer by the Centre, an economic think-tank for
developing countries, are calling on Switzerland, the host country, to
lift the Centre's diplomatic immunity. The affected staff, relating to
research and administration, are contesting their dismissal and want to
defend their rights before justice.They accuse the management of having
illegally imposed a new contract, before terminating their services. At
the beginning of this year, their fixed term contracts of 12 months was
shortened to a period of six months. According to Joseph Nanayakkara,
the Centre's Head of Administration, such contracts of shorter duration
conform to internal rules.
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The Institution in Danger
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"The dismissals were motivated by budgetary resrictions, explains Yash
Tandon, the Director of the South Centre. In recent years, we have
resorted to the drawing down the reserves to finance operating
expenses. That cannot go on without putting in danger the future of the
organization." =A0 Founded in 1995, the South Centre, with about 30 staff
members, is financed by its member countries and donors (countries,
foundations). Switzerland pays about 350000 swiss francs. It has asked
the Centre to enter into a dialogue with the five who have been
dismissed.
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Bern confirms that the South Centre enjoy diplomatic immunity but notes
that it does not have any appeal mechanism in case of conflict with
staff. "We have reminded =A0 them of their obligation in this matter,"
explains a spokesman of the Swiss Foreign Ministry. The result: The
Centre has just applied to the Administrative Tribunal of the United
Nations system to arbitrate in the future.
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Rockefeller closes the tap
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That solution, however, will not resolve the present conflict. That is
why the five affected staffers are preparing to go before the European
Court of Human Rights. In the mean time, they are engaged in an
information campaign about the management of the Centre. And with some
success. Certain funders have stopped collaborating. As early as 9
August, the Rockefeller Foundation announced the closing of its tap,
according to a document seen by Le Temps.
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Yash Tandon swears that no funding has been cut. He excludes any
further dismissals. "The Swiss authorities are so happy with us that
they have proposed to find us a bigger place," he says. "During a
courtesy visit to the Chief of the Swiss Mission in July, it was Yash
Tandon who said that he was looking for a bigger place," a spokesman
corrected.
=A0

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Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
voice +41.22.791.6727
fax +41.22.723.2988
mobile +41 76 508 0997
thiru@keionline.org
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