At UN, Of Closed Cafeterias, Misled Staff & Laid Off Workers, Aramark & Delegates' Lounge Tales

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 18 -- After this week's reception and panel discussion in the renovated UN Delegates' Lounge, many have asked Inner City Press when that space, as the UN's bar, and the fourth floor Delegates' Dining Room will “really re-open.”

  Both are run by Aramark, which remains the UN's contractor. 

  And for years now, Aramark has been providing less and less, and worse and worse, service under the contract, with no response from the UN. From high to this low, and slip and fall, is it any wonder this mis-run UN can't solve world problems, even adds to them?

  Aramark reduced the Headquarters building cafeteria's hours, now closing at 4 pm, even as the building fills back up. Aramark has now closed the cafeterias across First Avenue in UNICEF and UNDP / DC-1, while continuing to claim that renovation work is ongoing.

  Workers for Aramark, many of whom have been furloughed or laid off, confide to Inner City Press they've been told Aramark will not re-open the Delegates' Dining Room for lunch service until... September, preferring to only use the (UN) space for catered events.

  And that's it -- the working theory is that Aramark makes big money on catering, because it charges steep prices for outside special events, but makes less on operating retail concessions: the cafeterias, coffee shops, perhaps the Delegates' Lounge bar.

  So the UN is allowing Aramark to make their big profits but also allowing them to save money by reducing or eliminating services, and letting them lay off or furlough workers. But the UN makes misleading statements to those supposedly served by its contracts and contractor.

  On February 22, the UN said “the UNICEF and DC-1 cafeterias will close to allow renovation work to take place. Both cafeterias will be closed from 3 p.m. on Thursday 21 February 2013 and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Friday 15 March 2013.”

  On March 14, the UN announced “Due to unforeseen delays in the renovation work being carried out in the UNICEF and UNDC-1 cafeterias, both facilities will remain closed until 8 April 2013.”

  On April 5, the UN said, “Due to unforeseen delays in the renovation work being carried out in the UNICEF and UNDC-1 cafeterias, both facilities will remain closed until further notice.”

  And so it goes at the UN. Meanwhile, underground, not only is parking shrinking, but the UN Garage Administration is openly telling people they are park wherever they want: “Garage Administration will again allow, when the garage is at full capacity, vehicles to park in areas not normally designated for parking.” Ah, egress..

  Again, is it any wonder this mis-run UN can't solve world problems, even adds to them? Watch this site.

After Sandy, UN Slammed by States For Broken Email, Flooded Cars

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 5 -- The UN's own response to Super Storm Sandy was slammed by many of its member states on Monday, in a session of the UN's Fifth (Budget) Committee. 

  New chairman Miguel Berger, Germany's Deputy Permanent Representative, had told Inner City Press about the session late last week; other Ambassadors were already mocking the UN's claims of preparedness and its "overly rosy" November 2 press conference.

   On November 5, Berger began by noting the breakdown in UN communications, such that states' Missions heard almost nothing from the UN. The next state, Algeria, said the only e-mail it got was from New York City Commissioner Marjorie Tivens, Mayor Bloomberg's sister, who covers diplomat and consular affairs. If she could e-mail, why not the UN?

   Cote d'Ivoire noted that $50 million was spend on the computer back-up center, in New Jersey. Should it stay there?

   Denmark, which rarely publicly criticizes the UN, said that the failed response was "a blow to the UN's authority" in the field of disaster preparedness.

    Other diplomats complained they were told to move their cars in the UN garage from the first basement to the third, then told only on Monday, when they could not reach the UN, to move them up. (Inner City Press on Monday afternoon witnessed some staff and diplomats nevertheless moving their cars). Those cars on 3B have been damaged.

   Under Secretary General for Management Yukio Takasu was left to fend off these questions. He pointed out that he had said the damage was "relatively contained," not "minor." Neither Secretary General Ban Ki-moon nor his chief of staff Susana Malcorra attended -- although Malcorra will be in the Committee later in the week, Berger said.

  At Monday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky a question posed by Brazil: will there be any outside review of the UN's response? Nesirky referred to an internal review, the one being led by Susana Malcorra.

  Nesirky's Deputy Eduardo Del Buey was asked by Inner City Press on Friday if there will be any OSHA certified inspection of the areas of the third sub-basement being are being sent to work in, armed only with dust masks and Windex.

  Still no word on that. But Inner City Press is informed that other 3B workers were told they could only go to retrieve items with sentimental value if they wear boots and disinfect their clothes; no pregnant women allowed. 

 Does this sound like a safe place to work, or an Organization that should be allowed to muddle through this without outside inspection or review? Watch this site.

Footnote: also at Monday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN deputy chief humanitarian John Ging about cholera in Haiti. He said it's a concern, that it could spread. There was word Friday that Ban would be announcing a program with that country's government. But Nesirky had nothing on this on Monday. 

  A skeptic mused that while member states said virtually nothing publicly when the UN brought cholera to Haiti, some are speaking vehemently about damage to their cars. But oversight has to begin somewhere.