28 December 2007
Bujumbura — Two hundred former workers for the United Nations Operations in Burundi (ONUB) staged a demonstration in front of the compound hosting the offices of the UN Integrated Bureau in Burundi seeking compensations and claiming that they were not treated according to the internal labour standards. Among the demonstrators were workers who had contracts which were ended without notice and others who worked for long periods as daily workers. The UN ombudsman came to Burundi to solve the issues related to the conditions of these workers, but her contribution was never felt.
The UN Integrated Bureau in Burundi (BINUB) that replaced ONUB in January 2007 told these workers to direct their claims to the ministry of cooperation. But the latter has repeatedly refused to receive them. ONUB started its activities in Burundi in 2004. Many people started to work for it as daily workers but a number of them left because other UN agencies in Burundi offered better pay.
When the mandate of the United Nations Operations in Burundi (ONUB) ended, the numbers of workers were reduced. Despite the promises made to those who lost their work, the Integrated Bureau of the UN in Burundi continues to recruit other workers. The mandate of the BINUB was recently extended by one year by the UN Security Council.
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