FQPPU Newsletter - March 2006

Summary

• A Fresh Start for the FQPPU
• News from the Federal Council
• University Funding
• Psychological Harassment in Universities
• “Politique(s) et recherche universitaire” Colloquium
• Renewal of Professors
• Reconciling Work and Family
• Conference on Higher Education and Research Staff – Education International (EI)
• Cultural Diversity
• Civil Liberties

A FRESH START FOR THE FQPPU

The FQPPU has been in transition since it restructured in the spring of 2005. The Executive Committee stated its action priorities for 2005-2006 which are structured around the following priority files: the issue of psychological harassment, the entry of new professors into the profession, the structuring effects of research funding policies, university funding, and university management of institutions. The Executive Committee also set out the communication strategy to be developed so as to enhance the presence and visibility of the FQPPU in the public sphere.

NEWS FROM THE FEDERAL COUNCIL

University funding was the major topic of discussion at the Federal Council held on October 27 and 28, 2005 (see below).

At its meeting on February 16 and 17, 2006, the Council was informed of the progress of four priority files: psychological harassment, study on teaching staff and their renewal, university funding and the colloquium “Politique(s) et recherche universitaire” (see below).

A guest of the Council, Marie-France Chabot, a lawyer and associate at Consensus, a consulting firm specialized in conflict resolution, gave a talk and discussed with attending members on the subject of unions’ policies on psychological harassment.A file to be followed closely.

The roundtable discussions focused on problems related to university organization and management. A file to be followed closely.

Reading suggestions to get acquainted with the theme of university governance: “Les universités à l’heure de la gouvernance,” Sciences de la société, No.58, 2003, Presses Universitaires du Mirail.

“Making Sense of Change in University Governance,” Horizons Newsletter, International Association of Universities, February 2006.

UNIVERSITY FUNDING

At its meeting in October, 2005, the Federal Council examined the issue of university funding in relation to the quality and accessibility of higher education and academic research. Discussions led to the adoption of a federative position pleading in favour of basic funding for universities.

This gave rise to numerous actions. In particular, the FQPPU got together with its various partners – unions and students -- to publicly express its position in favour of unconditional federal transfers.

Participating in Competing for Tomorrow: a Summit on Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training held in Ottawa on February 23 and 24, 2006, the FQPPU issued a press release asking for federal transfers worth $4.9 billion. 

Consult the brief entitled “Le financement des universités québécoises dans le contexte de l'économie du savoir: un choix de société,”  Brief of the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation to the  Education Commission on the quality, accessibility and funding of universities.

PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT IN UNIVERSITIES

On February 16, 2006, the FQPPU launched its research report on “Le harcèlement psychologique chez les professeures et professeurs d’université. Témoignages, analyse et pistes d’action pour les syndicats.” (Psychological harassment among university professors. Accounts, analysis and courses of action for unions.)

On this subject, it should be noted that new provisions of the Act respecting labour standards came into force on June 1, 2004. The Commission des normes du travail (labour standards board) proposed amendments to the Act to deal with psychological harassment in the workplace. The Act stipulates that the employer has the duty to prevent and put a stop to harassment at work.

At the meeting of their union council on October 19, 2005, the Syndicat des professeurs et professeures de l’Université du Québec à Rimouski (SPPUQAR) adopted guidelines for preventing harassment. These are now integrated into SPPUQAR’s internal governance.
 
The Syndicat des professeurs et professeures de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (SPUQ) will be closely monitoring the first surveys to be conducted soon. A summary of the Politique contre le harcèlement psychologique (policy on psychological harassment) implemented by UQAM was published in the December 2005 issue of the SPUQ-INFO.

The SPPUS’s union council authorized the filing of a grievance based on the Act respecting labour standards and the new provisions related to psychological harassment which will henceforth be included in all collective agreements. An account of the grievance as well as the corrective action requested by the SPPUS were published in Volume 26, No.3, of Info/SPPUS (November 11, 2005)

“POLITIQUES(S) ET RECHERCHE UNIVERSITAIRE” COLLOQUIUM

The FQPPU is organizing a colloquium entitled “Politique(s) et recherche universitaire” (Policy (-ies) and academic research) on May 18, 2006, held under the ACFAS conference at McGill University. Since the time has come to assess the structuring effects of public policies on funding academic research, the FQPPU invites its members and all interested parties to consult the program and participate in the debate on this major issue for the future of universities.

With reference to research, see also the report of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) on the Canada Research Chairs program.

This issue of academic research is closely related to one of the issues under negotiation in a new collective agreement at the Université de Sherbrooke. Under the theme “L’université: un milieu à préserver” (The university: a community to be preserved) the negotiation committee was given the mandate to achieve the re-affirmation in the new collective agreement of the inextricable link between teaching and research, which guarantees university autonomy and academic freedom.

RENEWAL OF PROFESSORS

The exploratory study on new professors taking up their post in universities will soon be finished. Conducted by researcher Nathalie Dyke, this study gives a voice to the main people involved and follows up her study on the renewal of professors. A preliminary report of this earlier study was presented at the Congress in May 2005.

RECONCILING WORK ANS FAMILY

Entitled "Des décisions de la Cour suprême qui feront jurisprudence", issue No. 247 of SPUQ-INFO (December 2005) reports on two Supreme Court judgments which order that changes be made to the SPUQ’s collective agreement. In the first judgment, the Court’s comment on how parental benefits should be treated calls for an amendment to the effect that some benefits which are currently granted to mothers also be accessible to fathers. The second judgment contains comments which have an impact on some provisions related to the treatment of paternity.

Will these judgments have effects on other collective agreements?

CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH STAFF - EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL (EI)

The FQPPU participated in the "5th Higher Education and Research Conference of Education International", which was held in Melbourne on December 7-9, 2005, with the theme: “Higher Education and Research Staff in the 21st Century.” The Conference addressed the current challenges facing the higher education community given the economic and political situation internationally and the national choices reflected by the policies implemented by governments. Delegates attended 12 different work sessions.

Three sessions were of particular interest:

• The Brain Drain and Attracting Skill;
• General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS), privatization and education;
• Internationalization and Conditions of Staff - The Condition of higher education teachers in Australia, Canada, the United States, New Zealand and United Kingdom.

 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Education International is launching a campaign to support the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions which was approved by the UNESCO General Conference on October 20, 2005. It suggests a range of actions to unions, including:

• Putting pressure on governments so that the Convention can be ratified by a maximum number of states, thus enabling its implementation;
• Writing a letter to the government asking it to ratify the Convention unreservedly;
• Disseminating information on the Convention and its principles, and ensuring that each union participates in organizing public awareness campaigns at the local and national levels aimed at supporting the Convention;
• Encouraging dialogue among cultures and respect of cultural diversity in the union’s programs and educational activities;
• Providing support to affiliates in their development of policies and actions to promote peace and respect for all cultures;
• Democratizing the union structures by striving to achieve full integration of teachers from different backgrounds (ethnic minorities, Aboriginal peoples, people of different races, immigrants).

It should be remembered that Canada was the first to ratify the Convention but that it remains to be implemented.

CIVIL LIBERTIES

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) plays an active role in the area of civil liberties. It expressed its opinions during the public consultations on the Anti-terrorism Act and intervened in specific situations involving professors who experienced problems at the Canadian or U.S. border.

The CAUT has just made available its second Travel Advisory which sets out in detail U.S. regulations with which individuals wishing to travel to the United States to attend a conference must comply.

Also to be consulted is the mechanism established at Université Laval relating to “Le statut de travailleurs à l’étranger : une garantie d’accès à l’assurance-santé pour les professeures et professeurs en année d’étude et de recherche.” An article on this subject was published in Volume 16, No. 7, of SPULTIN, December 12, 2005.

In its Brief on the Anti-terrorism Act Review, the CAUT reports two major changes introduced by this review: on the one hand, an unprecedented concentration of powers, including for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and on the other hand, the right to conceal strategic information from citizens.

Lawful Access to Internet data is another theme addressed by the CAUT. The purpose of this Act is to compel Internet service providers to make their clients’ electronic communications accessible. Currently, universities, except two, are excluded from these provisions. However, it is to be expected that there will be strong pressure to subject them to this provision.

The application of the "Patriot Act" outside the United States is a major issue since this Act stipulates that the subsidiaries of U.S. companies are subject to this Act even though they operate abroad. These subsidiaries often hold confidential data on Canadian citizens contained in the contracts granted to them. The "Patriot Act" compels companies to disclose information which could be detrimental to individuals, especially in the context where numerous measures and technological advances enable the coupling of data banks.

The magazine "University Affairs" published in its January 2006 issue an article entitled ”Two conferences address academic freedom post-9/11,” two conferences held the same week in Toronto.

For more information on academic freedom.