To: Kumi Naidoo and the Greenpeace International Executive Team; Ana Toni and the SGC Board; Bunny McDiarmid and Global Leadership Team
CC: Justin Veenstra and the Greenpeace International Works Council; Global Campaign Leaders
Please note that this letter does not claim to represent all staff currently employed by
Greenpeace International, nor does this letter claim to be a democratic representation of all staff concerns. It has been written and compiled in an effort to best represent the main concerns voiced at informal staff meetings held on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th June, 2014. Attempts to consider this letter as a “staff statement” would be disrespectful to those who did not have the chance to voice their concerns and/or express their ideas for solutions. We, the undersigned, hope that this is fully understood and respected. We, as individuals, do not necessarily endorse every concern and/or solution expressed in the following document. We do, however, endorse the spirit of this initiative and the desire for internal change.
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man
changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” - Gandhi
Greenpeace is bigger than any one of us understands.
Greenpeace is smaller than any one of us would like to admit. Greenpeace is diverse and dynamic and flexible.
Greenpeace is rigid and exhausting and slow.
Greenpeace is what we make it, and it is what our supporters make of it. Greenpeace is you, and me, and all of us.
We joined this marvelous gallimaufry of an organisation because above all else; Greenpeace is hope.
Our first priority in this staff-driven initiative isn’t to protect our jobs, or stroke egos, or strike out in anger. It is to rescue, rehabilitate and release the tremulous voice of hope from within: we no longer desire change – we need it.
These past weeks have been a difficult and emotional time for staff and supporters of Greenpeace all over the world. Our values and guiding vision have been increasingly compromised up to the point where we struggle to recognize our organisation. Many of the issues now being discussed could have been raised and dealt with long ago but due to the atmosphere at GPI, many staff have felt uncomfortable in speaking out. The recent revelations in the world’s press however, made it clear that our silence is no longer an option. We need to encourage such discussions, not shy away from them.
Attached to this letter you will find a list of concerns and suggestions. We have worked hard together to think of solutions for as many of them as possible. We know some of the concerns will be tough to read and the solutions even tougher to execute. You may also be surprised that some of the harsher calls made by staff do not appear here as a list of explicit demands. This is to give ourselves time to work together on the solutions mentioned below.
We need to collectively rebuild trust. Our only loyalty at this point is to the Greenpeace mission. We stress these facts to set aside any allegations of ill intent that might be made against us. It is important to understand and accept these realities so that we can work together honestly, in a spirit of openness, to address the concerns listed below.
There is a worry that once the media’s ire dies down, we will return to business as usual. However, we feel that this situation is a tipping point, and we are therefore seizing this
opportunity to strengthen Greenpeace and return us to being an organisation that all of us are proud of, that all of us contribute to, and that all of us are equally represented by.
We request a written response from the IET, the GPI Board and GLT addressing each
concern/solution by close of business in Amsterdam 14 days from the receipt of the letter. We will then convene a staff meeting to discuss what the next steps should be. We have great faith and optimism that this communication will be taken in the spirit in which it is intended: a well-meaning, concerned and dedicated effort to better ourselves.
In hope,
Solutions for Change
The following is a list of ideas that came from staff, both via email and in informal staff discussions. We have endeavored to strike a balance between giving everyone a voice and making a list of requests that
as many staff as possible would feel comfortable signing their names to.
This list is not meant in any way to be taken as a universal staff statement, but as a list of ideas coming from concerned staff. It is also not meant to replace concerns and solutions coming from the OR in its
discussions with management regarding the New Operating Model.
Living our Values
Greenpeace International should establish a carbon budget per individual or unit,
according to the responsibilities required by their role: a strict travel policy must be
adhered to and enforced without exception. The budget should be revisited annually to reflect our ambition for an ever-lower carbon footprint.
Leadership must actively protect our policies and not bend them.
Correct induction and training of staff is important to re-establish. This should also include an induction in the core values of Greenpeace, our policies, and how to live a green life personally.
Finance should be given the authority to report inappropriate use of funds to a trusted individual; such misuse should be repaid by the individual in question.
Accountability
An independent and impartial assessment of both the current International Executive
Director and Chair of the GPI Board should be initiated, the findings of which should be
available to all. Many feel that Kumi Naidoo is a great asset as a Greenpeace
“ambassador”, but that a managing director is required to fulfill the duties of a the GPI ED.
An independent and impartial assessment of the International Program Director should be initiated, the findings of which should be transparent to all.
An apology for both the Forex loss (from Kumi Naidoo) and the issue of Pascal Husting’s
commute (from both Kumi and Pascal) should be issued directly to those on the front lines for Greenpeace: our volunteers, activists, direct dialoguers, etc.
An annual vote of confidence from staff in the leadership of the senior management (perhaps defined by job level or pay grade) should be held.
A clear and enforceable system of checks and balances is required to help us avoid over-consolidation of power in individuals, or teams such as the IET.
A clear set of objectives for the Operating Model should be made available to all Greenpeace staff. Those tasked with achieving each objective should be held personally accountable for fulfilling them (or for failing to fulfill them).
It is crucial for line managers to have strong management skills. Training should be compulsory for all managers before the assume management duties. Alternative forms of management (for example, Matrix management) should also be considered to ensure that staff are line managed by a person with strong management skills, not just someone who is considered ‘more senior’.
Transparency and Trust
The current process of remuneration for the Board, while legal, should stop. Only out-of-pocket expenses with full supporting documentation should be repaid.
Staff require an improvement in how we deal with current and any potential future
“sweetheart deals” and exceptions to policy which have been made.
The Terms of Reference for the IET should be distributed to all staff immediately for
examination and further discussion.
A regular log of senior management’s whereabouts, tasks and achievements should be made readily available to help staff understand their work. This could extend to being a task-logging system for all staff.
The minutes (and decision making processes) for meetings of groups such as the IET
should be made freely available within 7 days of the meeting. A decision list should be reported internally, as with the now-dismantled SMT of old.
An anti-harassment policy monitored by independent monitoring committee should be put in
place.
An empowered internal comms unit is clearly wanted, along with a clear Terms of
Reference for such a team, and a commitment from senior management to engage with them transparently.
Create an ombudsman for Greenpeace “trusted person” who can represent staff concerns at the highest level. This would be a facilitating, strategy-focused role, not occupied with settling individual disputes.
Agenda and facilitation of staff meetings by staff instead of management. Equality
Our organisational policies are applicable to everyone. No further exceptions, “sweetheart deals” or nepotism should be tolerated.
A talent management system should be established, and integrated to be a regular part of
the HR intake procedure. This database should be consulted before hiring any freelancers or consultants.
Fairly-applied secondments between NROs and GPI should be encouraged as a way to share skills and build bonds across the organisation. Internal staff mobility would be preferred over increased use of external freelancers.
All major changes in pay scales should be disclosed to staff.
IDEAS & SUGGESTIONS
Inverted organisational chart to reflect and celebrate a spirit of service-leadership.
All staff members, including senior managers, should be required to spend the equivalent of 1 working week volunteering our time to Greenpeace in a capacity which benefits the
organisation - as a front-lines activist, a warehouse volunteer, a direct dialoguer, night watch on the ships, etc.
Governance body to monitor completion of the OM restructuring: possibly composed of 5
members: 1 GPI staff member– to be chosen by staff – and 4 NROs trustees to be chosen among the NROs with better results in their finance and/or in their CO2 reduction.
Start a tumblr about how GP staff all around the world go to work. To emphasize Pascal’s travel is in no way a reflection of how the rest of staff commutes by public transport, bike, etc. All smart phones issued by the organisation should have a carbon calculator app pre-installed. This would encourage personal accountability amongst staff in monitoring and budgeting their emissions.
