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Questionable process by the Saskatchewan Labour Board for SIAST certification vote.
Regina (18 June 2012) - As most of the academic year has come to a close, Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) instructors, who are members of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union (SGEU/NUPGE) are out of reach and unable to participate in the SIAST Faculty Association certification vote scheduled by the Labour Relations Board (LRB) for June 13-15, 2012.
“I was sent an email from the LRB on the night of June 12, informing me of a certification vote starting the following day,” said Grant Lederhouse, Instructional Designer at SIAST Woodland Campus.
“I didn’t see the email until I went to work the next day. That’s less than 24-hours’ notice.”
The LRB informed all SIAST instructors through their work emails about the vote and is allowing some employees to mail-in ballots, while others not. Many SIAST programs finished at the end of April and some instructors’ work emails have been discontinued. Several employees who are instructing out of the country, on leaves of absences, and tending to students on clinical wards, will not be able to vote in the small timeframe the polls are open.
This rushed, two-branched process does not respect the democratic rights of employees to fully participate in this voting process. A well-publicized notice, along with sufficient time for voters to make an informed and rational choice, is needed.
“Several of our instructors have contacted us and are quite upset that they will not be able to vote on something that affects them deeply just because of the process,” said Garry Whitley, Acting Chair of the SIAST Academic Bargaining Unit.
SGEU/NUPGE had requested a mail-in ballot process in order to ensure that all affected employees had the right to vote. Alternatively, the union suggested that the timing of an in-person vote would be more realistic in September, when most instructors are back on campus with students. The voting process should also be fair and standardized for all employees.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE