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The Tribunal observed that unlike the Applicant¡¯s First Reporting Officer¡¯s (¡°FRO¡±) comments which were entirely consistent with the ePAS rating of ¡°Successfully Meets Expectations¡±, the comments of the Applicant¡¯s Second Reporting Officer (¡°SRO¡±) seriously undercut and detract from the overall appraisal rating." The Tribunal further noted that after the initial sentence recognizing that the Applicant ¡°consistently performed her tasks and duties effectively¡± and commending her ¡°ambition and dedication in her role, the SRO added seven sentences which were completely negative about the...

the Tribunal rules in favour of the Applicant, concluding that she acted in good faith in her efforts to secure her son¡¯s medical treatment and in the subsequent submission of medical invoices for reimbursement.

The Tribunal finds that the contested decision terminating the Applicant¡¯s employment, was, therefore, unlawful.

A witness investigator's act of following the testimony of a Respondent witness while she was testifying contravened the ethical and procedural standards expected of a witness by decision to disregard this fundamental procedural rule not only demonstrates a potential bias but...

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT held that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT did not err in finding that the former staff member¡¯s change of title following a reclassification did not amount to an abolition or discontinuance of her post, rendering her termination of appointment unlawful.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT also determined that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT did not err in awarding the former staff member compensation in lieu of two years¡¯ net base salary. In this regard, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT emphasized that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT correctly considered the fact that the former staff member¡¯s permanent appointment included a specific undertaking stating that she could only be terminated due to an...

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT held that the Inspector General¡¯s Office (IGO) and the Administration failed to properly consider relevant factors brought to their attention during the investigation into the staff member's misconduct. Specifically, they did not considerate the medical context in which the established misconduct occurred, which could have been exculpatory for the staff member. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT found that they failed to investigate and appreciate the potential effects of the staff member's brain tumour and/or treatment on certain aspects of his interpersonal relations with other staff members.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT...

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT concluded that the Dispute Tribunal had been guided by the appropriate factors in making its award of compensation in lieu. Specifically, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT had considered the seniority of the staff member, the type of contract he held and the chance of being offered equivalent positions, the reasons for termination, and months of service until retirement age. In light of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT¡¯s deference to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT in such matters, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT found it to be an adventure in futility to re-examine these factors.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT rejected the Secretary-General¡¯s contention that the length of the Temporary Job...

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT considered an appeal by the Secretary-General against Judgment No. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT/2021/032. It also considered a cross-appeal by Ms. Hilaire-Madsen claiming that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT should have rescinded the Administration¡¯s non-renewal decision and awarded her alternative compensation as well as compensation for moral damages.

As regards the lawfulness of the non-renewal decision, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT held that under the specific circumstances, at the material time of the contested non-renewal decision at the end of December 2018, from the point of view of a fair-minded objective observer, with the information available at...

Rescission and in lieu compensation under art. 10.5(a) of the Dispute Tribunal¡¯s Statute

Considering that the evidence provided by the Respondent showed that the duration of most of the former renewals of the Applicant¡¯s fixed-term appointment including the last regular renewal was for a duration of one year and that there is no expectation of renewal for a fixed-term appointment, the Tribunal determined that the amount of in lieu compensation must be equal to one year¡¯s net base salary.

Compensation for harm under art. 10.5(b) of the Dispute Tribunal¡¯s Statute

The Tribunal reviewed the...

While, arguably, changing the title of a position may carry the same effect as abolishing it, the two actions are not synonymous under the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR legal framework. Since ¡°discontinuance/abolition of post¡± and ¡°change of position title¡± are separately provided for under the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR New Resource Allocation Framework (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR/AI/2019/7/Rev.1), it follows that they are independent of each other. Indeed, the above provision has explanatory language indicating that ¡°discontinuance of a post¡± is ¡°same as abolition of a post defined in the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations¡±. No such...

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT dismissed the Secretary-General¡¯s appeal and granted Mr. Rolli¡¯s cross-appeal in part. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT found that the rescission of the termination decision ordered by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT was ¡°pointless¡± since by the time the case had reached the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDT, Mr. Rolli¡¯s post had been abolished. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAT accordingly held that in these circumstances, compensation had to fall under Article 10(5)(b) and be for harm caused by the unlawful decision. The harms he suffered included the loss of his remuneration and benefits (education and pension entitlements), the specific losses resulting of his ceasing to be...

In asserting whether the Administration properly determined the Applicant¡¯s step-in-grade, the core issue before the Tribunal is whether and, if so, to what extent, the Applicant¡¯s Ph.D. experience in Economics would constitute relevant work experience for a language professional under the Grading Guidelines for language staff.

The documentary evidence on record shows that the Applicant did his Ph.D. in Economics from 1 October 2014 to 9 June 2019 on a full-time basis. Therefore, his Ph.D. experience in Economics would amount to around two years and four months of relevant experience...