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Written by David Mirhady
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Thursday, 17 November 2011 00:00 |
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Imagine that the provincial government wanted to make a new investment in BC’s post-secondary educational system -- an additional $15 million -- a pretty modest amount in the government’s scheme of things. Then give the professors of BC’s research-intensive universities -- UBC, SFU, UVic, UNBC, and Royal Roads -- ten choices as to what to do with the money.
In August and September, the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC did just that, asking its members to respond to this made-up scenario.
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Bill 18 Would Limit Faculty Role in Governance |
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Written by Robert Clift
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Thursday, 17 November 2011 00:00 |
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Surprise amendments to the University Act that were introduced by the provincial government on November 3rd significantly challenge the role of faculty association activists in university governance. The proposals would limit which faculty members could run for election to boards of governors, and give boards, most of whose members are appointed by government, the power to recommend removal of elected board members.
The proposals in Bill 18 – Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act, 2011 – provoked immediate responses from the two organizations representing BC’s university and college faculty. Both the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC (CUFA BC) and the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC (FPSE) immediately contacted government officials to express opposition to the proposals.
“The legislation suggests that government sees faculty associations as a problem,” said David Mirhady, CUFA BC President. “It certainly frustrates the sort of cooperative engagement that we have tried to pursue with government.”
The universities already have policies in place to deal with conflict of interest. Nevertheless, the government says that it is concerned about potential conflicts of interest and wants to exclude all faculty members involved in collective bargaining and grievance adjudication from membership on boards of governors.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 19 January 2012 13:08 |
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Under Daddy’s Thumb: Bargaining in the Public Sector - October 7, 2011 |
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Written by Robert Clift
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Friday, 07 October 2011 12:47 |
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Stripped of its technical details, bargaining is about creating and maintaining a relationship. The two sides need each other, and the negotiation of a contract is the ritual by which they determine how they’re going to get along for years to come. Such mutual dependence is difficult enough to manage between two people. But when one of them is continually on a cell phone trying to make sure the ambitions of an overweening parent are satisfied, it is a recipe for dysfunction. University administrators and faculty associations have been following this recipe for the past 18 years.
In this case, the overweening parent is the Public Sector Employers’ Council (PSEC). Established in 1993 by the then NDP government, the legislated purposes of PSEC are to ensure coordination of human resource polices and collective bargaining activities among public sector employers and to improve communication and coordination between public sector employers and employee groups.
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Last Updated on Friday, 07 October 2011 17:39 |
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