Post-secondary school dealing with budget cuts
The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU) has learned that while academic and support staff are being laid off to deal with budget cuts, Saskatchewan Polytechnic continues to create additional managerial positions, said the union.
“It’s frustrating that Saskatchewan Polytechnic would claim that budget cuts are forcing it to eliminate much-needed staff positions, and then promptly turn around and hire new managers,” said Bonnie Bond, chair of SGEU’s professional services bargaining unit, which represents non-academic staff at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
The union raised concerns with Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s leadership about the rapidly increasing number of managerial positions at the institute during the last three years. In the 2015-16 academic year alone, the number of managerial positions increased by 33 per cent — from 113 positions to 150 positions — according to SGEU.
“They have added more levels of bureaucracy, instead of directing funds to frontline student instruction and support,” said Bond.
On April 26, a week after Saskatchewan Polytechnic gave layoff notices to 23 employees, both SGEU and the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association were notified that the institute intends to hire another employee for a newly-created managerial position.
“The funds that are being spent to increase the size of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s management team should instead be used to maintain existing staff positions and to fill the numerous positions that have been left vacant,” said Bond.
