Twenty-five Laurentian University employees have been laid off after the university cut costs to balance its budget.
More than half of the positions are management and professional staff, and the other half administrative staff, according to a press release from the university.
The university cut $1 million from its administrative costs in the budget, which was finalized last week. This is the first balanced budget Laurentian has had in four years.
While costs were cut in some areas, money was reallocated to areas supporting students, a press release said.
Eleven positions have been “added in key areas to support emerging (student) needs and continue to improve on the student experience.”
The budget included $2.1 million more for academic programs and research and $300,000 more for student support.
“Making the decision to reduce staff levels in certain areas is a necessary part of rebalancing our workforce to remain responsive to the needs of our students,” Dominic Giroux, president of Laurentian University, said in the release.
A press release from the Laurentian University Staff Union (LUSU) said members are “reeling” in the wake of the job cuts, which include 11 LUSU members.
Over and above the job cuts, other LUSU members have been affected by having contracts shortened, and there are a number of vacant positions that will never be filled, the press release said. Overall, almost 10 per cent of LUSU’s bargaining unit has been affected.
“The reality is that we have members that have given 20 years, or 30 years of service, or more, that have lost their livelihoods,” LUSU president Tracy Oost said, in a press release.
“While the university has put in place an outsourcing company and an EAP service to assist these members, it will be very difficult for most of them to find other work in Sudbury.”
LUSU, which represents about 230 clerical, technical, administrative, service, maintenance, and security employees, was given official notice that the redundancies would occur two weeks ago, after months of speculation on the part of all employees, the press release said.
“The administration has been putting all of these good news stories out there about the new school of architecture, expansion in Barrie, and such, but the internal environment at Laurentian is not good,” Oost said.
“Morale is the lowest that I’ve seen it in the 20 years that I’ve been here. We are all wondering why, if things are so wonderful at Laurentian, are so many of the lowest paid, front line workers being axed?”
Oost said students have been affected by the cuts. A good example is the complete elimination of the Athletic Therapy Clinic, the press release said.
“How can eliminating a service that is necessary for injured athletes, not affect service to students?” Oost said. “I don’t know how Laurentian expects to continue recruiting top athletes when the service won’t be there for them. Are parents going to send promising, young athletes to a school where injuries will not get immediate treatment, and the student will be told to either go to Emergency, or try to get into a local clinic?”
She said it is also a service that university offers to the community.
“Paying patients from the community are going to show up for their appointments only to find the door locked and a sign indicating that the service has been discontinued,” Oost said.
LUSU will examine the details of these redundancies carefully, and grieving in all possible cases, the press release said.
Under the LU/LUSU Collective Agreement the duties of a job must be eliminated for a position to be declared redundant. Members also cannot be replaced with outside contractors.
If the grievances go to arbitration it could take up to two years, and hefty legal fees on both sides, before an arbitrator could rule, the press release said.
-Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen
