Daily Bulletin, Wednesday, September 14, 1994

POLICY ON STAFF:  Proposed changes to UW's Policy 18, about staff hiring
and working conditions, were distributed today in a memo from the Staff
Relations Committee.  Many of the changes are minor (the "personnel"
department is now "human resources") but there are major changes having
to do with how UW handles any staff members whose jobs are to be eliminated.

This morning's memo points out that UW laid off a few staff last year, and
that more job losses are possible as "organizational change" continues.
The plan is to eliminate the present "preferential treatment" program -- 
trying to find new jobs within the university for anyone who's being laid off 
-- and guarantee a severance package instead.

Here are some sentences from the memo:

     Loss of funding, the need for organizational change and the
     introduction of new technology may affect staff members by
     re-distribution and re-assignment of job duties and in some cases
     by the elimination of jobs.  Within this context, it is imperative
     that the University define some basic principles. . . .   As a 
     result, the proposed policy now contains: provisions for staff
     consultation and approval of appropriate senior university officials
     for organizational plans, steps which must be taken when job duties
     are re-distributed or re-assigned, definitions of seniority and
     staffing priorities, and a requirement that all organizational 
     changes which will result in job loss must be reviewed by the Staff
     Relations Committee prior to implementation. . . .

     The spirit of the redundancy section of the policy was intended to
     provide staff members whose positions were declared redundant a
     measure of protection with a substantial working notice period and
     preferential treatment. . . .   The Committee believes that the
     existing practice of preferential treatment and working notice
     cannot be implemented in a realistic and constructive way.

     Therefore, the proposed policy no longer provides for preferential
     treatment or working notice.  However, employees will be given a
     comprehensive termination package which will include pay in lieu of
     working notice, severance pay if applicable, counseling and
     relocation assistance.  The notice entitlements have not been
     decreased.

The proposed new Policy 18 will be available on UWinfo from now through
September 28.  Find it either through the Daily Bulletin "Documents of
Current Interest" section, or under "University Projects and Official
Documents".  The memo from the staff relations committee will also be
available on UWinfo. Comments on the proposed changes are being invited.

A general information session with the staff relations committee will be
held next Wednesday, September 21, at 12 noon in Needles Hall room 3001.

SAYING GOODBYE:  A reception in honour of Gwen Lipke will be held today
at Federation Hall, from 4 to 6 p.m.  Lipke retired September 1 after 26
years in the human resources department, handling dental claims and other
benefits details for thousands of faculty and staff members.  "We're 
anticipating a large crowd of people she has helped and cared for," says 
human resources director Catharine Scott.  "She is probably the one person 
that faculty, staff and union have all met or talked to at least once."

DAY OF ATONEMENT:  Yom Kippur, most solemn day in the Jewish year, begins
at sundown this evening.  (And has there ever been a time when all of us,
of whichever faith or none, were more in need of reconciliation?)

I asked Robin Banks, associate provost (academic affairs), about UW's policy 
on the needs of faculty, students or staff who must be away from the 
university for religious observances.  He summarized it: "We try to be
reasonable."  Registrar Trevor Boyes notes the statement on page 1:9 of
the undergraduate calendar, about "alternative arrangements" for tests and 
exams scheduled on religious holidays.  Some students who did not want to 
write the English Language Proficiency Exam on Rosh Hashanah last week made 
special arrangements, he said.

Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
888-4567 ext. 3004      credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca