Halifax The Hamm governments new round of cuts to post-secondary education are simply adding insult to injury, according to one of the largest unions representing university workers in Nova Scotia.
CUPE Local 3912, which represents over 1,400 Teaching Assistants and part-time faculty at Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent and Saint Marys University, says the million-dollar cuts come on top of the double-cohort from Ontario and classrooms that are already bursting at the seams.
Local 3912 President Barb Moore says, These cuts show that John Hamms commitment to post-secondary education takes the form of lip service only. “People also must realize that the value of federal cash transfers for post-secondary education, adjusted for inflation and measured on a per capita basis, are about 50 per cent lower today than they were a decade ago. Theyve gone from about $100 per capita to less than $50.
With neither the federal or provincial governments willing to acknowledge that we are in the midst of a funding crisis, this is very disheartening for both students and staff alike, says Moore.
Says Moore, Yet again, the Hamm government has passed on the cuts to students, and staff who will have to deal with larger classrooms and fewer instructional hours.
For information:
Barb Moore
President, Local 3912
(902) 585-1535 (o)
(902) 670-4398 (cell)
Barb Kowalski
CUPE National Rep.
(902) 455-4180 (o)
John McCracken
CUPE Communications Rep.
(902) 455-4180 (o)