UNDT/2014/146

UNDT/2014/146, Wu

UNAT Held or UNDT Pronouncements

He claims that all other retirees who had been employed were granted the maximum of 125 working days under ST/AI/2003/8/Amend.2, while he was granted only 106 working days in 2013. The Chief, CTS, allegedly favored those retirees who invited him/made him gifts, while the Applicant was discriminated and retaliated, since he had reported the unethical behavior by the Chief, CTS. The Tribunal found that retirees have no “right” to be employed for a maximum of 125 working under the terms of ST/AI/2003/8/Amend.2. The Applicant failed to provide evidence that the decision was motivated by extraneous factors and no express promise had been made to extend the Applicant’s appointment. The Tribunal noted that the reason provided (Section’s capacity and workload) was supported by the facts, and rejected the application.

Decision Contested or Judgment Appealed

The Applicant, a retiree in receipt of a pension benefit from the UNJSPF, who had been re-employed as Reviser at the Chinese Translation Section (CTS), UNOG, contests the decision not to renew his temporary contract beyond the end of November 2013.

Legal Principle(s)

Employment of retirees: The conditions of employment of retired language services staff are far more restrictive than those of other categories of staff members under temporary appointments. Section 6.1(b) of ST/AI/2003/8/Amend.2 does not create a right to be employed; rather, it prohibits employment beyond the maximum of 125 working days. Also, sec. 7 of the same administrative instruction, which provides that “[r]etirees from another common system organization may exceptionally be employed in the absence of qualified and available non-retiree candidates, as well as of qualified and available United Nations retiree candidates”, does not establish a right to be employed for 山retirees.

Outcome
Dismissed on merits

OAJ prepared this case law summary for informational purposes only. It is no official record and should not be relied upon as an authoritative interpretation of the Tribunals' rulings. For the authoritative texts, please refer to the judgment or order rendered by the respective Tribunal. The Tribunals are the only bodies competent to interpret their respective judgments, as provided under Article 12(3) of the UNDT Statute and Article 11(3) of the UNAT Statute. Any inaccuracies in the publication are the sole responsibility of OAJ, which should be contacted directly for any correction requests. To provide comments, don't hesitate to get in touch with OAJ at oaj@un.org.

The judgment summaries were generally prepared in English. They were translated into French and are being reviewed for accuracy of the translation.