City lays off 360 casual workers, delays recalls

City manager hopes for return to normalcy as soon as possible

The City of Regina is laying off 360 of its casual staff members and postponing the recall of another 500 because of facility closures and uncertainty caused by the COVID -19 pandemic.

In a press conference with reporters Thursday, Regina city manager Chris Holden said layoff notices were provided to workers earlier that day.

The notices take effect at the end of day on March 31.

Casual employees make up around 1,000 of the City of Regina’s 2,800 staff members.

Jobs affected include cashiers, equipment operators, life guards and operational and maintenance staff.

“Casual staff are employees whose hours are typically scheduled on a weekly or a monthly basis, and it’s based on the work requirements,” said Holden, noting 80 per cent of casual staff provide support for parks, recreation and cultural services.

With the city closing all recreational facilities and temporarily shutting down programming, Holden said the hours just weren’t there to justify keeping many casual employees on.

“Our hope is that this layoff is temporary and that we will be able to return to normal business operations as soon as possible,” he said.

But for now, COVID-19 has disrupted the programs and services many people considered part of everyday life, and Holden said the city is doing its best to adjust to these rapid changes.

“COVID-19 has changed that definition of what everyday means to our residents and our staff,” he said.

“These are uncertain times and we’re working to balance ... that new everyday for the foreseeable future.”

CUPE Local 21 is the union that represents the city’s outdoor workers. In an update posted to its website on Thursday, the union said the city was keeping on a “limited number” of casual staff who work in “critical areas.”

These critical areas include cemeteries, facilities, fleet, forestry, the landfill, recreation staff overseeing the REACH program, sewer and drainage, solid waste collection, traffic and water.

On top of the 360 workers who will be out of a job come Tuesday, the city is also postponing the recall of an estimated 500 seasonal staff who would normally work through the warmer months.

“Once we return to normal, we’ll be looking to recall those employees and hire those employees back,” said Holden, although he added there was no guarantee all staff would be rehired.

“These are staff that are meaningful and they’re a productive part of our workforce, and they make a difference in the quality of life that we all enjoy as residents each and every day.”

Holden recognized these layoffs will create hardship for those affected.

He said he is thankful for the recently announced supports from the federal and provincial governments to support people who have lost their jobs because of COVID-19, and that the city is taking steps to make sure those who received layoff notices know how to access those supports.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Senate approved a $107-billion bill that includes $52 billion in cash supports.

This includes a measure to provide $2,000 per month for four months starting April 6 to people who have been laid off because of

COVID -19.

On March 20, the provincial government announced more than $14 million, and a potential tax deferral of up to $750 million, in financial support for Saskatchewan employers and employees hit by the pandemic.

No permanent city staff are facing layoffs at the moment, and Holden said the city has no intention of cutting permanent employees.

The city is looking at “retraining and reassigning” some to support other services as a way of ensuring they can stay employed, however.

While the city has not made a final decision on which departments will receive new training, Holden said equipment operators currently doing park maintenance and roadway and winter maintenance could be retrained to support other areas like sewer and water or waste collection.