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Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/052, Wamalala
Staff Rule 11.2(b) provides that a staff member wishing to formally contest an administrative decision taken pursuant to advice obtained from technical bodies, as determined by theSecretary-General, or of a decision taken at Headquarters in New York to impose a disciplinary or non-disciplinary measure taken pursuant to staff rule 10.2 following the completion of a disciplinary process is not required to request a management evaluation. Staff rule 11.2(b) exempts the necessity of a management evaluation in two sets of cases, namely, in cases regarding advice obtained by the Administration from...
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/049, Kasmani
The Tribunal concluded that there was cogent evidence that extraneous factors were taken into account in the decision not to extend the Applicant¡¯s contract. The Tribunal thus held that the Applicant had sufficiently discharged his burden of proof. He showed that the actions of the Respondent¡¯s agents were unfair, improperly motivated, and wholly arbitrary.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/050, Kamanou
Administrative decision: A decision imposing to a staff member an obligation to report to work may not be said to be purely preparatory in nature, as it has effects on his or her terms of appointment. As such, it is a decision open to appeal before the Tribunal. Interim measures: The Tribunal may only grant suspension of action on a decision as an interim measure under articles 10.2 of the Statute and 14 of the Rules of procedure during the proceedings of a case, that is, when there is an application against the same decision pending before it. Management evaluation/receivability of suspension...
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/047, Kamanou
Receivability/lack of legitimate interest to appeal: By the time the Applicant filed her application, the contested decision had already been overturned. Moreover, it had not caused her any prejudice. Hence, she had no legitimate interest in contesting it before the Tribunal. The application is thus irreceivable.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/048, Kamanou
Receivability/lack of legitimate interest to appeal: By the time the Applicant filed her application, the contested decision had already been overturned. Hence, she had no legitimate interest in contesting it before the Tribunal. The application is thus irreceivable.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/044, Willis
Categories of candidates: The staff selection system established in ST/AI/2006/3/Rev.1 was based on a rigid hierarchy of three categories of candidates in terms of priority consideration: 15, 30 and 60-day mark candidates. If a candidate belonged to a priority category he or she was excluded from the less priority ones. Internal, non-internal and external candidates: ST/AI/2006/3/Rev.1 distinguished between: (1) internal candidates, strictly defined in section 1; (2) non-internal candidates, comprising staff members who did not fall within this definition; and (3) external candidates, those...
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/042, Prljaca
Management evaluation: Pursuant to well-settled case law of the Dispute Tribunal and the Appeals Tribunal, requests for administrative review or management evaluation are mandatory first steps in the appeal process. Improper motives: The onus is on the applicant to provide sufficient evidence that the contested decision was tainted by improper motives.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/039, Powell
The Tribunal held that since summary dismissal/termination may have been the possible outcome at the end of the disciplinary process, the Respondent had to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the daily casual worker (Mary) was transferred to MovCon as a result of the alleged sexual relationship between her and the Applicant. The Tribunal concluded that the facts upon which the disciplinary measure was based were not established and that the facts which were established did not legally amount to misconduct under the Regulations and Rules of the United Nations. Consequently, the...
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/043, Morsy
Outcome: The Tribunal awarded the Applicant USD25,000 for the breach of his rights and the resultant harm. The Applicant also contested the decision to remove some of his functions from him and modify his reporting arrangements, to initiate and carry out a fact-finding management review in relation to his performance, and to place him on special leave with full pay (¡°SLWFP¡±). The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT made the following findings. The Respondent failed to meet its obligations for assessing and managing the performance of the Applicant. The Respondent did not fully and fairly raise the performance issues at the...
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/040, Likuyani
A decisive or material fact as per art. 29 of the Tribunal¡¯s Rules of Procedure is one that was not known at the time the judgment was given. The said fact must be of such significant weight that its consideration in the case should lead to a revision of the judgment. The Dispute Tribunal has power to revise the judgments of the former Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Administrative Tribunal, being its successor and subject to compliance with the provisions of art. 29 of the Tribunal¡¯s Rules of Procedure. The issue of power to suspend a staff member during the disciplinary process is a matter of law and not of fact.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/041, Balakrishnan
Legal representation: An applicant may be represented by counsel before the Tribunal provided the requirements of art. 8.2(c) and art. 12 of the Rules of Procedure are met; in particular, the applicant must formally authorize counsel to represent him/her and adequate information must be provided to the Tribunal on the good standing of counsel. Preparatory decisions: According to well-settled case law of the Dispute Tribunal, preparatory decisions are not subject to appeal. They may only be challenged in the context of an appeal against the final decision.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/037, Kavakure
Non-renewal The Chief Administrative Officer¡¯s decision not to renew the Applicant¡¯s contract was arbitrarily taken. Downsizing In cases of downsizing, there is generally some established criteria put in place to ensure accountability and transparency of the process. In the present case, there was no evidence of such criteria and the Tribunal found that the Applicant was deliberately reassigned to another unit in order to make it possible for the downsizing axe to fall on him. Expectancy of renewal Applicant had a legitimate expectancy of renewal of contract considering that the Personnel...
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/038, El Issawi
STL staff members are not United Nations staff members and thus do not have access to the Tribunal.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT/2012/036, Hunter
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT found that the Applicant failed to establish that the alleged administrative decision he sought to contest affected his legal rights. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT found that the Applicant lacked legal standing and his application was therefore deemed not receivable.
2012-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-216, Schook
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT noted that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT¡¯s review of the factual situation by necessity involved consideration of issues beyond the mere fact of the non-renewal of the Appellant¡¯s contract and, thus, found no merit in the Appellant¡¯s submission that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT¡¯s deliberations on the issue of non-renewal took place in isolation of the facts surrounding the decision. With respect to the Appellant¡¯s contention that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT failed to account for the negative impact of the non-renewal of his personal and professional life, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT found no error in the Secretary-General¡¯s exercise of discretion to take action to address the...
2012-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-217, Rahimi
In her appeal, the Appellant contended that the Organisation owed her a duty of care as a result of the actions of its representatives. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT noted that the Appellant did not produce any evidence that the invoked injury was the result of negligence or fraud caused by a specific act or omission of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ or one of its representatives, or of the fact that the Organisation was aware of the fraud prior to the Appellant¡¯s allegations. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the Appellant¡¯s claim for damages could not be entertained as there was no nexus between the fraud and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ, nor was the Organisation aware of the...
2012-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-218, Christensen
As a preliminary matter, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT denied the Appellant¡¯s request for an oral hearing as the submissions by the parties did not require clarification. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT questioned whether her case presented exceptional circumstances that would warrant the reopening of her case by the Secretary-General, as her application was not filed in a timely manner. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT found that the appeal was not receivable as, notwithstanding her illness, she did not demonstrate such circumstances. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT dismissed the appeal and upheld the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment.
2012-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-219, Sprauten
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered the Secretary-General¡¯s appeal regarding the compensation award of six months¡¯ net base salary for the irregularities in the selection process. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT noted that the present case substantially differed from Kasyanov (2010-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-076), which the Secretary-General relied upon; had Mr Kasyanov been selected, it would have been a mere lateral move for him without any change in salary and status. Contrastingly, Mr Sprauten¡¯s selection would have been a move from a temporary appointment to a fixed-term appointment. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT rejected the Secretary-General¡¯s contention that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT erred in law...
2012-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-220, Mezoui
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT¡¯s approach, in determining the amount of compensation to be awarded to the Appellant, was reasonable. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT relied on its holding in Hastings (2011-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-109), where it held that the trial court is in a much better position than Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT in assessing the probabilities of a candidate being selected for a position. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT also found that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT correctly concluded that the Appellant should not be awarded any additional compensation beyond the amount already paid to her. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT further dismissed the Appellant¡¯s request to award costs against the Secretary-General, noting that there were...
2012-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-212, Edwards
The Appellant appealed the amount of damages awarded by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT and claimed additional compensation for the excessive delay of more than four years, from the date she requested an administrative review to the date of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the Appellant had been adequately compensated and noted that, unless she could show that she was singled out to work more than her similarly placed colleagues, it would be difficult to conclude that the Chief demanding a higher work output from the Appellant constituted harassment. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT dismissed the appeal and affirmed the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment.