Contractors working inside the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Global Health, or GH, allege that the agency’s leadership approved moving them from one government contractor to another that is planning significant cuts to their benefits. They say these changes were not done transparently — and that a large portion of USAID’s global health workforce is now being forced to quickly accept them if they want to keep their jobs.
In an open letter sent this week to USAID Administrator Samantha Power and Assistant Administrator Atul Gawande, who leads the Global Health Bureau, the contractors write that the situation “has had a negative impact on staff morale, motivation, and productivity – the opposite of the environment the Administration seeks to foster.”
The letter, which Devex obtained, had 340 signatures at the time this article was written.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
