Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Staff and students at one of Calgary’s largest post-secondary institutions are protesting a recent provincial bill they fear will limit academic freedom and threaten funding.
A rally was held on Tuesday afternoon at Mount Royal University (MRU), where there were concerns about collective bargaining and wages.
Those who spoke at MRU said the Alberta government is going too far in negotiations.
“The government has initiated some mandates in terms of what types of pay increases we’re looking at,” explained Michelle LoGullo, president of the Mount Royal Staff Association (MRSU).
He said staff were offered two years of two percent, and another two years of 1.75 percent over the course of a four-year collective agreement — which, with inflation and the cost of living, LoGullo says is insulting.
“Personally, I’m taking home 20 per cent less pay than in 2016 due to the erosion of my salary with inflation. So the proposal they are putting on the table at the moment, which has not been submitted to the staff association but has been submitted to the faculty association, is seen as somewhat offensive, ” said LoGullo.
“Our people are grossly underpaid.”
The MRSU wants the province to leave the process.
“Collective bargaining should be between the workers and their employer – this should not be a legislative intervention,” LoGullo said. “The government stepping in and trying to legislate these types of wage mandates is a clear step over what their boundaries are. You know, because collective bargaining is protected under the Charter of Rights.”
The province says salary negotiations are a matter of local bargaining between the university and the union.
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“The government of Alberta provides bargaining directives to public sector employers, including post-secondary institutions, which they use to devise their negotiation strategies,” said Varun Chandrasekar, press secretary for Higher Education Minister Rajan Sawhney.
“We encourage the parties to work together to reach an agreement.”
Concerns were also raised on Tuesday about Bill 18, the Provincial Priorities Act, which was passed in May.
It requires provincial entities – including cities and municipalities, health authorities, school boards and public post-secondary institutions – to obtain approval from the Alberta government before entering into, amending, extending or renewing an agreement with the federal government.
At the time, Premier Danielle Smith said Bill 18 acted as a precedent against Ottawa getting involved in funding ideological federal priorities – such as secure supply addiction treatment and green power mandates – that go against her province’s objectives.
Educators worry the measure will create a barrier to receiving funding for key projects and damage Alberta schools’ reputation for academic freedom.
“What kind of students are we drawing? Is this going to affect the appeal of Mount Royal University for higher education?” LoGullo asked. “If you limit what kind of research you can do, that could stop someone from choosing to come to Mount Royal.
“Very concerned about the autonomy of our institution and only being able to promote higher education.”
Earlier this year, Smith addressed those concerns, saying she had heard from other teachers who claimed they have not received grant offers because those offers don’t align with the federal government’s ideology .
The majority of federal post-secondary research funding comes from three Canadian government agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
The higher education ministry said it has been actively engaging with post-secondary institutions, including MRU, since the spring to ensure the regulations are streamlined in terms of the approval process, adding that the Alberta government is committed to ensure that federal funding is aligned with provincial priorities.
“We are working to develop and implement regulations to ensure that Alberta post-secondary institutions maintain access to research and other funding from the federal government, while protecting Alberta’s interests,” said a statement from Chandrasekar.
Those at Mount Royal University said Tuesday that if they don’t see any progress on collective agreements and collective bargaining, they will look at job action as a strike.
“We’ve never been involved in a job action before, but the rumors are getting louder and louder,” LoGullo said. “At some point we have to draw a line in the sand to say we can’t continue down this path.
“Calgary’s minimum living wage right now is about $23, $24 an hour. We have a huge number of staff who make less than that.”
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://globalnews.ca/news/10772474/mount-royal-protest-collective-bargaining-bill-18/
