The union representing Confederation College faculty are not happy with a lack of communication as the college moves forward with layoffs.
Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 732 president Rebecca Ward’s concern is heightened by a lack of information on new funding which could impact staffing.
The college has invoked Article 29 of their collective agreement, which Ward says is a provision for the college to lay off more than five per cent of the faculty, under the title of ‘extended staff reduction.’
“Under that article, the college and the union are supposed to work collaboratively to look at pertinent financial and staffing data to determine alternatives for layoffs,” said Ward, adding that the union learned that the college secured Priority Growth funding from the Ontario government last week, which supports training across health, trades and STEM programming.
Ward says the college is proceeding with layoffs, “and didn’t work with us to meet their obligations under Article 29,” despite the funding announcement last Friday,
“We have been seeking disclosure from the college around the priority growth fund since the beginning of July. We got some notation about what they applied for, but they never disclosed to us that the application had been secured,” said Ward. “When this funding announcement came out on Friday, we were completely unaware that the college had been allocated these 250 seats.
Ward also noted that the college has other funding streams as it continues to move toward partnerships with private industry and other educational institutions.
“As they’re doing this collaborative programming, they are reducing the permanent workforce at the college, and we assume that is just going to continue,” Ward said.
She added that the college is no longer being run like a publicly funded institution.
“It is being run like a business. It is no longer an institution that is supporting community need,” she said. “The college is opting to hire on instructors, in short-term contracts to get through the partnership agreement with whoever they’re training for. Once that’s done, it’s done. They don’t have to keep this person on full time.”
She added that the union is frustrated and gravely concerned with the college’s approach to stabilizing employment and its lack of disclosure.
The college would not speak on the record but issued a document stating that employment-related matters are part of confidential processes recognized under the full-time academic collective agreement.
“Confederation College will not comment on staffing or employment matters at this time,” the statement read.
