This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
An IT worker at Dalhousie University points out the many disasterous consequences of the Nova Scotia Liberal government's attempt to strip post-secondary workers of their basic constitutional rights
.
Dalhousie University IT worker Darryl Warren, who is a member of NSGEU/NUPGE, read the following speech during public hearings on the Nova Scotia government's proposed bill to give universities the right to suspend collective bargaining and grievance procedures.
Halifax (5 May 2015) — The Universities Accountability and Sustainability Act is as poorly titled as most of the legislation tabled by our current government, since it allows for neither accountability nor sustainability.
Education, the primary responsibility of universities, is not even mentioned in the bill, nor is there any suggestion on how institutions should be held accountable for the quality of the product they provide.
Constant cutting doesn't yield sustainability
And although I agree that universities should be administered in such a way that they remain sustainable, I don’t see how the province expects that to happen with the continued cuts to funding year after year. It’s akin to telling the person whose chest you’re sitting on that they aren’t breathing very well and it’s their fault for not trying hard enough.
I try to imagine applying this same legislation to P-12 public education. Imagine measuring the profit and loss of elementary school or the sustainability of junior high. Clearly, children don’t need to learn their ABCs; there’s just no money in it. To suggest the link between education and prosperity isn’t just as direct in post-secondary as it is in public education is naive to the point of dishonesty.
I’m not suggesting universities should not be fiscally responsible—everyone agrees they should be. The government should hold those who spend public money accountable—and they can, without legislation, and certainly without this legislation.
Steady funding better than emergency bail-outs
It’s ridiculous for this legislation to specifically allow, even require, an institution to fail to the point of collapse before the government will assist, particularly when that assistance comes at such a high academic price — mainly, the loss of autonomy and the sale of the education agenda to business interests. If government truly wanted to assist in delivering quality education in the province, why would it continuously reduce funding?
The purpose of this particular piece of legislation is as transparent to me as the purpose of Bill 1 was to James Dorsey. It is simply another attack on labour. It is another blindfolded whack at the constitutional piñata in hopes that the few treats that fall out will be enough to appease the business interests who control this government and to satisfy those who think the winner of the race to the bottom is still a winner.
Bill 100 destroys the balance of power
I’ve read the debate that occurred during second reading of this bill describing it as a last resort and heard Ray Ivany comment on how he didn’t think universities would be lining up to make use of it. There’s a very slight chance this is the case, but even if this is true, this bill will sit in a chair on the employer’s side of the bargaining table during every future round of negotiations. Even unimplemented, Section 8 significantly shifts the balance at the bargaining table.
I’ve spoken with supporters of the bill who liken it to bankruptcy protection for those who don’t currently have it.
I sit on the bargaining committee for my local and have for several rounds of negotiations. I understand the process and believe that there is currently a balance of power. I believe the contracts we’ve settled in the past were fair and consistent with the expectations of both the members and the administration.
In my opinion, the system works for us, but this bill, and specifically Section 8, breaks the system; there would be little point in sitting at a negotiating table in the future. We would simply have to accept whatever the employer is offering, concessions included.
Why aren't managers held accountable?
Last, the bill is absent any mention of the individual contracts signed with members of senior administration — those who would have been, quite frankly, responsible for steering the institution into the wreckage it has become.
Too often, when the compensation of senior administration is discussed, the rebuttal is that their contract had to be fulfilled or “that’s what their contract says.”
Well, I have a contract, too, and if government can suspend my terms and conditions, then why is there no mention of these multi-million dollar contracts in this legislation?
Dal's president and past president both enjoy six-figure salaries
Dalhousie continues to pay its previous president a six-figure salary while its sitting one receives the same. I don’t suggest sustainability can be found solely in the compensation packages of senior administration, but if financial difficulties within an institution can void collective agreements that affect so many staff and faculty, why are senior administration positions not threatened with the same?
The Liberal government should take a more progressive position on supporting post-secondary education in the province. The citizens of Nova Scotia have shown support for increased funding for higher education. The consultation the government did last year with stakeholders did not ask for anything even resembling this legislation. There must be a better solution, one that doesn’t violate the democratic principles and labour laws that govern this country, one that doesn’t disproportionately cater to the demands of business and one that will allow for continued, affordable access to higher education for all citizens of Nova Scotia.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE