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PAPEL DEL TRIBUNAL ADMINISTRATIVO
ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL
Se anexan para información
del personal documentos relacionados con el Tribunal Administrativo (Carta
que envió la Presidenta de la Asociación del Personal al Secretario General
Interino el 21 de marzo así como la presentación que hizo el Presidente del
Tribunal Administrativo ante la Comisión General el 29 de marzo de 2005).
For the staff's information,
included are documents related to the Administrative Tribunal (Letter sent
by the President of the Staff Association to the Acting Secretary General
on March 21, 2005 and the presentation made by the President of the
Administrative Tribunal to the General Committee on March 29, 2005).
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SA-25/04-05
March 21, 2005
Dear Ambassador Einaudi,
Having reviewed Executive
Order 05-03, with respect to the provisions made for the Administrative
Tribunal, the Staff Committee notes the following description as it relates
to the Tribunal:
... "III. OFFICE OF
INTER-AMERICAN LAW AND PROGRAMS
Provides secretariat
services to the Administrative Tribunal of the Organization, as required
under the Tribunal's Statute, and in particular:
a. Processes complaints,
motions, and other pleadings;
b. Serves and otherwise
notifies the Parties and transmits pleadings and otherwise notifies the
Tribunal members;
c. Organizes and maintains
case files;
d. Organizes the Tribunal's
meetings and sends out corresponding notifications;
e. Provides technical advice
as requested by the President and other members of the Tribunal;
f. Prepares the Draft Annual
Report of the Tribunal to the General Assembly and other technical studies
requested by the Tribunal, and;
g. Maintains and updates
regularly the Tribunal's databases of its judgments, other decisions, and
its jurisprudence index on the Tribunal's Web page, which is linked to the
Department's Web page.
..."
The Staff Committee is
concerned that the independence of the Tribunal is compromised by being
located within the Department of Legal Affairs and Services since staff of
that Department are responsible for pleading cases before the Tribunal,
including the General Counsel who is the head of the department. The
Committee cannot foresee an impartial secretariat while under the 'wings'
of the GS Counsel.
The Staff Committee would
like to request the Acting Secretary General to take steps to ensure the
administrative (and financial) independence of the OAS Administrative
Tribunal and the separation of its secretariat from the GS's Department of
Legal Affairs and Services.
My sincerest regards,
Clara Estrada
President
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Original: Inglés
PALABRAS DEL JUEZ MORTON SKLAR, PRESIDENTE DEL
TRIBUNAL ADMINISTRATIVO DE LA ORGANIZACION DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS, AL
PRESENTAR EL INFORME ANUAL DEL TRIBUNAL ANTE LA COMISION GENERAL DEL
CONSEJO PERMANENTE DE LA OEA
Presidente y honorables
miembros de la Comisión General del Consejo Permanente:
Siempre es grato comparecer
ante ustedes para presentar el informe anual del Tribunal Administrativo.
Esta es la cuarta vez que asisto a una reunión del Consejo con este
propósito y, quizás, la última, pues, tras nueve años de servicios, mi
mandato vence este año.
Ha sido mi práctica que, en
lugar de leer el informe detallado que les ha sido distribuido, preferir
que ustedes den lectura al mismo conforme les sea conveniente y, en cambio,
aprovechar esta oportunidad para hablarles en forma más directa y subrayar
algunos puntos clave de particular importancia, que espero les sean
especialmente útiles para concentrarse en el examen de la labor del
Tribunal.
Como aspecto más importante,
aunque el Tribunal Administrativo ciertamente no tiene la misma estatura y
significado para la labor y los fines de la Organización que, por ejemplo,
nuestro tribunal homólogo, la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos,
nuestro Tribunal Administrativo (laboral) sirve no obstante una función
esencial que no debe pasarse por alto. Nuestro propósito es actuar como
órgano independiente y confiable para la solución y decisión de disputas
del personal interno y en asuntos que surjan entre la Organización y sus
empleados. Este papel nunca fue tan importante como ahora, cuando se están
por introducir grandes reformas estructurales y cambios en la política de
personal, a raíz de cambios en los objetivos de la Organización y de las
limitaciones financieras que enfrentamos. Estos elementos producen grandes
cambios en las políticas de personal, los niveles de sueldos y las
reclasificaciones de empleos que afectan al personal a todos los niveles de
manera muy significativa y (desde el punto de vista de los empleados) muy
preocupante.
Si no existiera el Tribunal
Administrativo para tratar los problemas que surgen a raíz de esos cambios
y para alentar una solución de los mismos manteniendo la moral y el apoyo
del personal, tendríamos que recurrir a la vía de la justicia de nuestros
Estados Miembros y enfrentar la incertidumbre que este enfoque sin duda
produciría. En efecto, uno de los peticionarios, en un caso actualmente
ante el Tribunal, ha planteado exactamente esa amenaza.
De manera que es
especialmente esencial, en estos tiempos de grandes transformaciones
estructurales y de la política de personal, que el Tribunal pueda ejercer
su papel de solución de disputas y toma de decisiones de manera efectiva y
en que todas las partes perciban que es objetivo, independiente y justo.
Pero es mi deber advertirles
de dos hechos específicos que amenazan con socavar gravemente el
funcionamiento del Tribunal y su capacidad para cumplir sus objetivos de
servir de órgano judicial independiente y como mecanismo efectivo de
solución de disputas en asuntos de personal. Primero, conforme a una de las
reorganizaciones estructurales que se están produciendo dentro de la
Organización, el Tribunal ha quedado bajo la autoridad del Departamento
Jurídico. Aunque estoy seguro de que razones de practicidad, y no ningún
otro motivo, produjeron ese resultado, coloca al Tribunal en una posición
de ser administrativamente una parte de una de las partes en los casos que
se le plantean, a saber, el representante jurídico de la Organización.
Ningún tribunal puede ser percibido como independiente y objetivo en tales
condiciones. El mismo problema se planteó en la Corte Interamericana, y se
decidió, con fines estructurales y de organización, colocarla bajo la
autoridad directa del Secretario General y su Adjunto, y no en otra oficina
sustantiva de la Organización. La misma decisión debería adoptarse para el
Tribunal Administrativo, por las mismas razones. Análogamente, el
presupuesto del Tribunal debe ser aprobado y administrado en forma
independiente, y no a través de la oficina de presupuesto de la
Organización, como ocurre ahora.
Segundo, uno de los
empleados que no estaba satisfecho con la decisión del Tribunal presentó
una apelación de nuestra decisión en base al argumento de "ultra vires," o
sea, que está fuera de la autoridad del tribunal. Tal vez recuerden que la
Asamblea General adoptó el proceso especial de apelación "ultra vires" hace
unos años para ofrecer medios de revocar las decisiones del Tribunal que
iban en contra de requisitos básicos de resoluciones de la Asamblea General
y de otros mandatos de la Organización. El Tribunal alertó a la Asamblea
General en esa época de que ese "proceso especial de apelación" basado en
el argumento de la acción ultra vires era innecesario y potencialmente muy
peligroso en la medida que imponía la posibilidad de una revisión de las
decisiones fuera del ámbito del Tribunal y dejaba la puerta abierta para
seguir impugnando las decisiones finales del Tribunal. La apelación
interpuesta este año con fundamentos "ultra vires" por uno de los empleados
confirma los peligros intrínsecos que el proceso de apelación ultra vires
plantea a la independencia y carácter definitivo de las decisiones del
Tribunal. El Consejo Permanente y la Asamblea General deberían considerar
seriamente la revocación del proceso de apelación "ultra vires", que no es
compatible con el doble concepto de independencia y carácter definitivo del
proceso judicial.
En los últimos años, nos
vimos ante una serie de cuestiones relacionadas con la independencia y
efectividad del Tribunal, incluidos el manejo y la administración de su
presupuesto, y el hecho de que el Secretario del Tribunal haya sido tratado
como parte del Departamento Jurídico. Estas últimas cuestiones relacionadas
con la preservación de la independencia y efectividad del Tribunal como
órgano judicial independiente son inclusive más significativas y de más
vasto alcance. Si el Tribunal ha de cumplir su función de órgano decisorio
independiente, es esencial que la percepción y la realidad de la
independencia de esta instancia sea cuidadosamente mantenida y protegida.
Por estas razones, esta calidad esencial de independencia del Tribunal ha
sido puesta gravemente en cuestión en una serie de aspectos importantes,
por lo cual, exhorto a la Comisión General y al Consejo Permanente a que
nos ayuden en nuestro empeño por preservar la capacidad del Tribunal de
llevar a adelante su misión en forma efectiva en el futuro.
Gracias por su interés y su
firme apoyo a la labor del Tribunal a lo largo de los años.
Morton Sklar
Presidente
Tribunal administrativo OEA
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REMARKS OF JUDGE MORTON SKLAR, PRESIDENT OF THE
ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,
ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE TRIBUNAL'S
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE
OF THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OAS
Chair and Honored Members of
the General Committee of the Permanent Council:
It is always a great
pleasure to appear before you to present the annual report of the
Administrative Tribunal. This is my fourth appearance before the Permanent
Council for this purpose, and perhaps the last, as after nine years of
service my term of office expires this year.
It has been my practice,
that rather than read the detailed annual report which has been distributed
to you, I would prefer that you read it at your leisure. Instead, I will
use this opportunity to speak more directly to you and highlight a few key
points of particular importance that I hope will be especially useful for
you to be aware of and to concentrate on as you review the work of the
Tribunal.
Most importantly, although
the Administrative Tribunal certainly is not of the same stature and
significance to the work and mission of the Organization as, for example,
our companion court, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the
Administrative (Labor) Tribunal nevertheless serves an essential role that
should not be overlooked. Our purpose is to serve as an independent and
reliable dispute resolution and decision making body for the internal
personnel disputes and matters arising between the Organization and its
employees. There has been no time when this role has been more important to
the Organization than right now, when major structural reorganizations and
personnel policy changes are in the midst of taking place as a result of
changes in the mission of the Organization and the financial constraints we
face. These developments are producing major changes in personnel policies,
salary levels and job reclassifications that are affecting the staff at all
levels in some very significant and (from the point of view of the staff
members) some very troubling ways.
Without the Administrative
Tribunal to deal with the problems arising as a result of these changes,
and to encourage a resolution of these issues in a way that maintains the
morale and support of the staff, we would be reduced to resorting to the
legal remedies of the courts of our member states, and faced with the
uncertainties and vagaries that this approach would undoubtedly produce.
Indeed, one of the petitioners in a case currently before the Tribunal has
raised this exact threat.
So it is especially
essential, in these time of major structural and personnel policy
transformation, that the Tribunal be able to exercise its dispute
resolution and decision making role in an effective way, and in a way that
all parties perceive as being objective, independent and fair.
But it is my duty to alert
you to two specific developments that threaten to seriously undermine the
functioning of the Tribunal and its ability to carry out its purpose of
serving as an independent judicial body, and as an effective dispute
resolution mechanism on personnel matters. First, under one of the
structural reorganizations that has taken place within the Organization,
the Tribunal has been placed under the authority of the Legal Department.
Although I am sure that practicality rather than any other motives produced
this result, nevertheless it leaves the Tribunal in the untenable position
of being administratively part of one of the parties to the cases coming
before the court, namely the legal representative of the Organization. No
court can be perceived as being independent and objective under these
conditions. This same problem arose for the Inter-American Court, and the
decision was made to place it, for structural and organizational purposes,
under the direct authority of the Secretary General and his Deputy, rather
than under any of the substantive offices of the Organization. This same
decision should be made for the Administrative Tribunal, for the same
reasons. Similarly, the budget for the Tribunal should be approved and
administered on an independent basis, and not through the Organization's
budget office as now takes place.
Second, one of the staff
members who was dissatisfied with the decision of the Tribunal has filed an
appeal of our decision based on the claim that it is "ultra vires," or
outside the authority of the court. You may remember that the General
Assembly adopted the special "ultra vires" appeal process some years ago in
order to provide a means for overturning Tribunal decisions that went
against basic requirements of General Assembly resolutions and other
Organization mandates. The Tribunal alerted the General Assembly at that
time that such a "special appeals process" based on the claim of ultra
vires action was both unnecessary and potentially very dangerous to the
extent that it imposed the possibility of outside review of Tribunal
decisions, and left open to further, ongoing challenge final decisions made
by the court. The appeal that has been filed this year on "ultra vires"
grounds by one of the staff members confirms the inherent dangers that the
ultra vires appeal process poses to the independence and finality of the
Tribunal's decision. The Permanent Council and the General Assembly should
give serious consideration to the repeal of the "ultra vires" appeal
process, which is not compatible with the dual concepts of the independence
and finality of the judicial process.
Over the past several years
we have grappled with a number of issues related to the independence and
effectiveness of the Tribunal, including the handling and administration of
its budget, and the fact that the Secretary of the Tribunal has been
treated as part of the Legal Department. These latest issues related to
preserving the independence and effectiveness of the Tribunal as an
independent judicial body are even more significant and far reaching. If
the Tribunal is to serve its function as an independent decision maker, it
is essential that the perception and reality of the court's independence be
carefully maintained and protected. For the reasons indicated above, this
essential independent quality of the Tribunal has been placed in serious
question in a number of important respects, and I urge the General
Committee and the Permanent Council to assist us in working to preserve the
ability of the Tribunal to carry out its mission on an effective basis in
the future.
Thank you for your interest
and strong support for the work of the Tribunal over the years.
Morton Sklar
President
Administrative Tribunal
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