CALGARY —Less than two weeks before online and in-person classes are set to resume, Calgary’s technical institute has laid off six more support workers, all of whom are Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) members.
SAIT’s top-dogs are blaming the temporary layoffs on the UCP’s budget cuts, which have devastated post-secondary institutions (PSIs) across the province, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the last two layoffs at the institute, the six announced this week are not part of the 230 SAIT jobs slated to be tossed.
“Between Kenney handing over billions of dollars in tax cuts to rich corporations and SAIT’s CEO, Dr. David Ross, raking in over $495,000 in 2019 alone, the people at the top are leaving crumbs for everyday Albertans,” says AUPE Vice-President Bobby-Joe Borodey.
Since the start of the year, hundreds of layoffs have been announced at post-secondary institutions across the province, hitting rural Alberta especially hard.
Borodey says this newest batch of job cuts at SAIT, the majority of which are in the Office of Hospitality Tourism, suggests the erosion of high-quality, stable jobs is showing no sign of slowing.
“This is exactly why our members in PSIs are organizing and taking matters into their own hands through the Save Advanced Education campaign,” adds Borodey. “We’re not going to let these temporary cuts become permanent scars. Our campuses are the heart of our communities. They produce critical thinkers and expand our political and cultural scope. They create engaged citizenship – which is exactly what the UCP are afraid of.”
-30-
For more information:
Celia Shea, Communications 780-720-8122