28992: Fuller (reply) Re: 28919: Kathleen (enough money to live on)? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Rob Fuller <rob.fuller1@gmail.com>

> 1. How do the Haitian police salaries compare to those of the 
> U.N"peacekeepers?"

UN peacekeepers (police and military) are paid by their national
governments, according to their national pay scales. I don't know what these
scales are, but I doubt that there are many Jordanian, Nepalese or even
Brazilian soldiers making $3000 a month.

Salaries for UN professional staff, of course, really are very high, and I
think it's understandable why this causes resentment in Haiti. Salaries are
high because the UN wants to recruit high-quality, experienced
professionals. Not having had much contact with the UN, I can't judge
whether this strategy works - but it is certainly true that competition for
UN jobs (ex-patriot jobs, as well as local jobs in Haiti) is intense.
Contrary to what many Haitian people believe, it is not so easy for any blan
who feels like it to find a job with the UN to come and "vole richès peyi
a".

I think the idea of the US military recruiting in Haiti is a good one, if
there were ever any chance of it happening. The British army (which is even
more under-manned than the US army) recruits in Nepal, Fiji, and some other
countries. Recruits from these countries are usually - because of the
competition for places - of much better quality than those from the UK.

Rob