The Independence of International Civil Servants during the Neoliberal Decades: Implications of the Work Stoppage Involving 700 Staff of the World Health Organization in November 2005

Abstract

The independence of international civil servants is critical to the fulfillment of their organizations' mandates, but it has been seriously undermined during 25 years of neoliberal influence in U.N. agencies, including the World Health Organization. In November 2005, 700 staff at WHO headquarters participated in a one-hour work stoppage—the first industrial action in the organization's history. Hierarchical and arbitrary management, abuse of rules and procedures, nepotism and harassment, and undue influence of international financial institutions, powerful member states, and transnational corporations have exhausted morale and motivation, creating a conformist environment and interfering with technical health work. In the neoliberal era, WHO staff confront conflicting duties of loyalty to a handful of member states and their private interests and loyalty to WHO's constitutional mandate. International civil servants need support from governing bodies and from the world's people in finding the correct balance. A first essential step would be respect for international labor standards within the U.N. family and, in particular, negotiation status and collective bargaining—human rights in the workplace and prerequisites for staff independence, integrity, and competence, qualities required to serve the world's people.