The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) held a working group meeting (June 11 & 12) that brought together post-secondary instructors and support staff from across Canada to discuss a variety of issues confronting their sector.
Topping the list of concerns was post-secondary funding during the current economic crisis, and the future of training. The tens of thousands of men and women working at community colleges and institutes across the country are responsible for retraining those thrown out of work during the recession, as well as training the workforce of the future.
This meeting allowed workers to share issues of common concern that threaten the health and sustainability of the sector. Participants had rich discussions on topics such as:
• Privatization of the public college system.
• Collective bargaining.
• The changing role of colleges.
• Apprenticeship.
• Intellectual property rights and academic freedom.
Larry Brown, NUPGE's secretary-treasurer, spoke to the group about economic globalization and its link to the global economic collapse. He encouraged the group to ask tough questions about where we are headed when we speak of "economic recovery". In addition he highlighted concerns over new labour mobility and trade agreements that may pose threats to public education.