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HALIFAX, NS - The president of CUPE Nova Scotia, Danny Cavanagh, says he’s disappointed the province has decided to remove the freeze on tuitions and introduce a cap of three per cent.

“CUPE members do not just work at universities in Nova Scotia. They attend universities on a part-time and full-time basis. Our 18,000 members pay the fees so their sons and daughters can attend universities or colleges. They are parents with younger children who worry about whether their children will be able to get a post-secondary education.

“Like all working Nova Scotians, CUPE members pay income taxes to the federal and provincial governments to provide appropriate levels of funding, in part, to a system of public post-secondary education in our province,” says Cavanagh.

Barb Moore, president of CUPE Local 3912 which represents TAs and part-time faculty at Dal, SMU and MSVU, says, “As for the four per cent cut in funding to universities, we certainly don’t think the reductions should come at the expense of front line staff like TAs, or full and part-time faculty.

“Why does the president of any university need to be paid more than the premier of Nova Scotia, for instance,” asks Moore.

“In Ontario, as another example of potential cost-savings, CUPE has called for a merger of all of the pension plans of the universities to save on administration fees. Why aren’t we looking at ideas like this,” says Moore.
  

For more information, please contact:

Danny Cavanagh
President, CUPE Nova Scotia     
(902) 957-0822 (Cell)   

John McCracken
CUPE Communications Representative
(902) 455-4180