Questions swirl over abrupt firing of Dalhousie Student Union employees
Posted Jun 25, 2019 09:20:12 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Speculation is rampant among Dalhousie students over the abrupt firing of three Dalhousie University Student Union employees over the last week, leading to the temporary closure of the campus bar – the Grawood.
In a Facebook post, the Grawood told the public the firings were part of an employee restructuring.
According to Global News, former Director of Licenced Operations Greg Wright, who worked there for 15 years, former DSU General Manager Craig Kennedy with 20 years under his belt there, and Jo Castillo, the now former Communications and Outreach Coordinator were all fired.
In a post on Twitter, DSU's five executives said these actions were the result of a three month evaluation of how the union is structured. They are adding two new directorships, one for operations, and the other for research.
However, another former DSU employee Paul Whyte, alleges a whole long list of problems with the firings, starting with no mention of restructuring during the transition period this spring. He believes that feels like a thinly veiled attempt to excuse the firing of staff the executive simply didn't like.
Former DSU Member Services Coordinator Breton Doucet agrees, saying the newly posted director positions are basically the same as the roles Wright, and Kennedy occupied.
In late may, the DSU announced their intention to seek membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), but Whyte says there are fundamental, unresolved conflicts between DSU and CFS bylaws. He says he brought those conflicts to the attention of the executive, but reports they fell on deaf ears.
Whyte adds remaining staff are concerned about their futures, as when unions join the CFS, there tends to be a mass exodus of existing employees.
