U of S aims to cut 350 jobs with early retirement offers

Move comes after university was unable to reach a deal on voluntary buyouts

We knew that they could do this; this wasn’t a big shock to us. (But) this was not a negotiated settlement between the university and CUPE.

The University of Saskatchewan is poised to shed more jobs as it cuts costs in the face of a $16-million reduction to its $312-million operating grant, which was announced in March as part of the Saskatchewan Party government’s 2017-18 budget.

After failing to reach a voluntary buyout agreement with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1975, the university is now using a clause in the union’s collective agreement to offer about 350 of its most experienced workers “an early retirement.”

The retirement packages are available to CUPE Local 1975 members who are 55 or older, have worked at the university for 30 years, or whose age and time of service add up to 80, according to an internal memo obtained by Postmedia News.

“We knew that they could do this; this wasn’t a big shock to us,” CUPE Local 1975 first vice-president Bob Jones said of the university’s decision. “(But) this was not a negotiated settlement between the university and CUPE.”

U of S associate vice-president of human resources Cheryl Carver said while it is not clear how many employees will apply for the packages, the university won’t relax the restrictions and extend the same offer to additional CUPE Local 1975 members.

“It’s always a challenge when you lose talented people,” Carver said. “So there will be a period of adjustment for the organization, for sure. But I think we have the ability to defer these changes in order to meet the operational needs so that we make sure we continue to maintain the same kinds of services that we have available today.”

The offer comes about a month after voluntary buyout negotiations stalled. CUPE 1975’s president said he was concerned about the university hiring contract workers to replace unionized ones; the university said it was “not prepared” to rule out that possibility.

The Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA), a CUPE offshoot that represents about 1,100 U of S employees, agreed to the buyout deal CUPE Local 1975 rejected. Its president said, however, that he expects layoffs to follow.

The “assisted early retirement” clause in CUPE Local 1975’s collective agreement allows the university to “propose to an employee an early retirement package which may include a financial settlement,” provided it informs the union of its actions.

Carver said the union was aware of the university’s plan and did not object to it.

Jones said the clause means the union would not “have a leg to stand on” in terms of challenging the decision. At the same time, CUPE Local 1975 understands that the university is being buffeted by forces beyond its control, he said.

Advanced Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre said earlier this month that while the province has asked all publicly funded institutions to “consider ways in which they might reduce costs,” it respects universities’ right to make decisions autonomously.