UN labour agency freezes US official’s appointment over unpaid dues

New Delhi ( The Indian View team) : The International Labour Organization has rescinded the appointment of a top U.S. official to be deputy head of the UN agency because of delays in payments from the United States, it said on Monday.

Sheng Li (United States of America) will therefore not assume the position of Deputy Director-General in July as previously foreseen,” it said in a statement to Reuters. The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Sheng Li was appointed to the role by the ILO in April after months of delays. However, the ILO has since told the U.S. that the appointment will not go ahead unless it pays its dues.

This decision is without prejudice to the possibility of the United States settling its arrears and thereby regaining its position as the largest contributor in assessed contributions,” the ILO said.

The cash-strapped organisation has already frozen hiring and non-essential travel for staff, and is considering reforms to relocate some staff to lower-cost countries. The ILO is yet to set out how the cuts will affect its operations in the longer-term.