UCP cuts bring more post-secondary pain
LETHBRIDGE – The University of Lethbridge (U of L) has laid off 131 workers in a desperate attempt to meet the UCP government’s harsh budget restrictions, says the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).
The temporary layoffs affect 145 U of L staff, including 131 AUPE members, which includes accounting clerks and assistants, administrative workers, caretakers, maintenance workers, and a number of technical and program specialists.
“In a time when everyone is hurting, it is maddening to see the UCP government continue to slash away at Alberta’s post-secondary institutions without a care,” says AUPE Vice-President Karen Weiers.
“By forcing institutions like the U of L to make cuts, the UCP government is making a bad situation worse. They are hurting post-secondary workers and students when they need help the most.”
The layoffs come as part of a wave of post-secondary job losses throughout the province. Weiers warns that the government’s decision to make huge cuts during the pandemic means Alberta’s post-secondary institutions may never be the same.
“These layoffs may be temporary, but the health of the university is on shaky grounds because of the government’s callous cuts and the uncertain future of the pandemic,” says Weiers. “Ultimately, we don’t expect this to be the end of layoffs and job losses at the U of L.”
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Vice-President Weiers is available for interviews.
Please contact: Alexander Delorme, AUPE communications, 780-264-9274