NOSM, union in talks following announced layoff plans

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine and the union representing its support workers are back in talks after the school announced plans for layoffs Thursday.

OPSEU says the school was in violation of the collective agreement, which was signed in November, when it laid-off 14 employees Thursday. OPSEU local 677 president Yuk-Sem Won said her union and NOSM have different interpretations of the agreement.

“There’s been so much confusion around the interpretation of the language that we agreed to just a little over four months ago," Won said. "The school has moved forward with a process that was not clearly understood and does not seem to care about violations of the collective agreement."

NOSM dean Roger Strasser said the school has held meetings with the union since March 14 and was surprised and concerned that the union has issues with the announcement.

"We’re keen to understand those issues and find a way of working with the union to ensure the process which we initiated yesterday moves forward as smoothly as possible."

But Strasser said he doesn’t know whether the school violated terms of the collective agreement. Won said that shows the school laid-off workers without being prepared.

“To go forward when they aren’t clear themselves ... to us it’s ridiculous," Won said. "How can you impact your staff this way when you haven’t taken the time to work it out and understand it properly?"

A total of 24 positions, including three management jobs, are being axed in order to keep the school’s budget balanced and change the shape of the school, Strasser said.

"We’re doing this in the context of course of difficult economic times," he said.

Won said the reduced staff will lead to a reduction in services, something she has already seen when the school does not re-staff vacant positions and it’s Thunder Bay and Sudbury campuses.

Won said although talks have been ongoing with the union and NOSM, discussion hasn’t been constructive.