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By Connor Gunn

U of L blaming pandemic for new layoffs

Dec 9, 2020 | 3:41 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB– The University of Lethbridge is permanently laying off 13 workers and blames financial complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University gave their statement on the job cuts:

“The University of Lethbridge has made the difficult decision to permanently lay off 13 employees because of lack of work, 10 of which had been on temporary layoff for the previous three months.

The University regrets deeply decisions such as these but must address the fiscal realities it currently faces.

In all cases, the University endeavours to ensure departing employees are treated with respect and that collective agreement and employee manual directives are met. All employees have been given access to support resources to assist them during this transition.”

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This report comes from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) and the University.

“This is not only bad news for these workers as they head into the holiday season, it’s bad news for students, it’s bad news for local businesses and it’s bad news for the community,” says Karen Weiers, vice-president of the AUPE.

AUPE represents more than 95,000 workers, including more than 10,000 in education currently.

“These permanent job losses are entirely the fault of the UCP government and its failure to support post-secondary education when Albertans need it most,” says Weiers.

12 caretakers and one administrative support person will lose their jobs beginning on January 4, 2021.

“The government has cut hundreds of post-secondary jobs across the province already this year, as well as announcing plans to cut 11,000 front-line health-care jobs and up to 930 Government of Alberta jobs,” she says.

Weiers says the Premier is too blame.

“Jason Kenney is killing jobs, not creating them. He’s giving billions of dollars of taxpayer money in tax giveaways to profitable corporations who are laying off thousands of their workers, but has nothing for Albertans seeking a way out of this economic mess.”