Tag: Anti-Austerity

At the May 16 Town Hall, McGill’s administration delivered a confusing and contradictory message: they acknowledged that layoffs and budget cuts are not sustainable, yet insisted they are inevitable. This narrative is being pushed without transparency or genuine accountability — and it’s frontline staff and students who will pay the price. At the same time, McGill is pushing to raise another $1 billion to reach its $3 billion fundraising goal — a move that stands in stark contrast to the austerity measures being proposed.   What the Administration Isn’t Telling You The total salary mass for Senior Administration and management is $71 million higher than it would be if it had increased at the same rate as salaries for all other job classes. No mention of salary freezes or reductions for senior administrative staff. No commitment to full financial transparency, no clear answers on where and how money is being spent. Let’s call on McGill to ✅ Implement a moratorium on layoffs and job abolitions ✅ End the hiring freeze that harms departments and services ✅ Cancel the costly NousGroup consulting contract ✅ Freeze and reduce executive compensation ✅ Reverse the opening of Horizon McGill, a high-cost project pushed forward amidst cutbacks This Is a Choice — Not a Necessity Without access to full financial records, how can students, staff, and faculty know whether cuts are truly necessary? Right now, you are being asked to accept austerity measures without evidence. McGill is using fear and urgency to justify harmful policies without democratic input or transparency.   Let Us Stand for Fairness, Not Fear. The McGill community deserves a voice in decisions that affect livelihoods, academic quality, and student services.   SIGN OUR PETITION to demand a fair, transparent, and people-first approach!

Dear Members,
You and your coworkers have made it clear: enough is enough. Now, it’s time to take the fight straight to McGill’s administration. We have just launched a new public petition calling on McGill to 

• Implement a Moratorium on Layoffs & Job Abolitions
• End the Hiring Freeze
• Cancel the NousGroup Consulting Contract
• Freeze and Cut Executive Compensation
• Reverse the opening of Horizon McGill 

Sign your name and share this petition with all your MUNACA co-workers and your broader community to tell Deep Saini and his NousGroup hatchetmen that you will stand and fight for your jobs, your university community, and the future of public higher education in Canada. 

Survey Results

The results of the Anonymous Executive Survey you filled out have just come in, and they are eye-opening. Here are some quick stats: 

• 236 of you responded to the survey so far.
• 97.5% of you agreed that the senior executives of McGill bear responsibility for the financial situation and should take a corresponding cut to their own compensation.
• 80% of you oppose the opening of the new “Horizon McGill” office and the dramatic expense it entails.
• 81% of you are against the university hiring NousGroup, at a fee of over $370,000 dollars and counting, in light of the senior admin’s “budget deficit.”
• 85% of you are ready and willing to fight back against the Senior Administration’s imposed austerity!

Here’s what you and your coworkers are saying loud and clear:

• “More and more, it seems that this university is being transformed into a corporate entity. A president is not needed at a university. It is a position for countries and private corporations. The constant need for doing more, more quickly is also part of the corporate mindset. A university is there to educate and research, and should not be turned into a diploma factory.”
• “The budget cuts and the cry for poverty from a literal multimillion dollar corporation is full of s***…. : they don’t care about the people on the bottom. These [Executives] are making upwards of $500,000 a year in salary (plus bonuses) and all I want is to be able to afford a place with a second bedroom….If anyone is ready to fight the University over this, it’s me.”
• “Spending money on the creation of a new program, hiring a new director, and contracting an outside firm to solve the “budget problem” is a real slap in the face. How many members’ salaries can fit into the salaries of McGill executives?”

In Solidarity,
MUNACA

Dear MUNACA Members,

We have looked into the UniForum questionnaire. The questions may appear innocuous and even legitimate, but the context reveals that they are not.

At the University’s Town Hall on February 7th, it was announced that the “salary mass” of administrative personnel would be reduced due to financial difficulties. In clear terms, they are threatening to lay off administrative personnel in the near future.

The employer intends to use this survey to justify laying us off, abolishing our jobs, and reorganizing our workplace, all while the compensation for those making these decisions continues to balloon. The employer has the gall to ask for the support of those whose livelihoods are in jeopardy, to help to determine which positions should be cut first! 

We urge our fellow union members to use this template to respond to this so-called “survey.”

Instructions:

• For all multiple-choice or rating questions regarding professional staff and services, select high satisfaction responses.
  
• For any written response sections, use the following statement:

“I am very satisfied with the dedication and hard work of my colleagues at McGill, who consistently strive to provide essential services despite years of hiring freezes. This survey fails to distinguish between the decisions made by senior administration’s policies and processes versus the actual performance of frontline staff.

Our frontline workforce holds irreplaceable institutional knowledge and expertise, essential to the university’s daily operations. We will not allow this data to be weaponized through surveys to rationalize the destruction of our jobs and livelihoods.

We are ready and willing to have a genuine conversation about how this university can be better managed, but this survey is not the forum. It is a tool designed to justify cuts, not a meaningful dialogue. We believe that all McGill staff deserve respect, security, and the resources to do their jobs effectively.”

On February 7th, 2025, the University surprisingly announced, during their Townhall, some disturbing news that MUNACA was surprised to learn, especially considering the magnitude of what was being disclosed. 

Considering the Employer’s failure to contact the Union prior to this announcement, we have requested a meeting with the Employer as soon as possible. The purpose of this meeting is to address all of the current and upcoming reorganizations, restructurings and their consequences, including abolitions and potential layoffs. Our intention is to mitigate the upcoming ‘Project Horizon’.

We will keep you updated as the situation evolves.

We strongly recommend that you:

Verify that your Seniority is Correct 

●     by going into Workday and the November 2024 Seniority list and ensuring these are reflective of your time at McGill. If it is incorrect, contact HR to have it corrected and CC reception@munaca.com. 

●     If you suspect you are on soft/research funds please make sure that you have your letters ofhire/appointments and verify if indeed you belong to some research group (as of what date) as these groups may or may not have job security.If you are unsure please contact us. 

Let us know about any Reorganizations, Restructuring or Shuffling of personnel so we can take a look into it 

Have questions or concerns about seniority, reorganizations or anything else? 

Contact your nearest Steward or the MUNACA office 

(email reception@munaca.com; Tel 514-371-2222)