MUNASA Special Bulletin - March 21, 2025

Dear members,

McGill University is facing a critical situation marked by budget cuts that have caused great anxiety and stress for our management community. The Town Hall on February 7, 2025, addressed the employment uncertainty as we confront the challenges ahead. The announcements and intended plans focused on a stronger McGill with a common purpose. Understandably, managers are worried as they contemplate their place in the institution amidst an atmosphere of turmoil and ambiguity.

McGill indicates that the initial phase of the multi-year initiative, Phase 1, requires a budget correction of $45M for FY26 and a stated reduction in salary mass. Numerous questions arise, most notably, “How did the institution get to this point?” The stated deficits and realization of the precarious financial situation of the University cannot be recent discoveries.

In an email on March 19th, Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) and Fabrice Labeau, Vice-President (Administration and Finance) announced that the workforce reduction will “include an estimated 99 layoffs university-wide”.  This will largely affect MPEX employees who do not have Employment Security.  MUNASA can confirm that abolishment of positions has unfortunately begun resulting in terminations. The termination process is agonizing, as some employees whose positions were abolished were blindsided by being terminated on the same day. It has also been reported that some employees have been approached for retirement.

The structure of senior administration is heavily weighted with a range of Associate Provosts, Vice-Presidents, Associate Vice-Presidents, Associate Deans, and more.  Vice-President Fabrice Labeau suggested that the data surrounding salaries is “being read wrong” and that “increases are not out of line with the rest of the employees at McGill.” According to the information provided by the University to the Minister of Higher Education, the salaries of the senior administration are reported (p.51). In 2023–2024, the base salaries ranged from $159,366 to $572,974. As we discuss the financial challenges faced by our institution, it is important to note that the combined base salaries of the three senior administrators who presented at the Town Hall amount to $1,179,228, according to the 2023-2024 public information. This figure is important to consider as we navigate these difficulties and explore potential solutions to ensure a stable and sustainable financial future for our University.

Faculties and Units have been given budgetary reduction objectives and, in turn, will need to deliver a plan to meet these targets. Meanwhile, the University decided to spend $350,000 for the UniForum Service Effectiveness Survey.  McGill has informed the community that they have joined UniForum – an externally led program that will benchmark our administrative activities with those at dozens of partner universities across Canada and other countries – starting with a survey of all faculty and staff.  This is just the beginning.  Is this the time to use funding to outsource when the University has internal resources that are qualified to carry out such assessments?  Many employees elected to not complete the survey as it was perceived to be designed to eliminate positions. Furthermore, as cost-cutting measures are underway, it is certainly worthy to note that while MPEX staff no longer benefit from an economic increase in salary and the budget for the Annual Compensation Review has decreased to 3% this year compared to last year’s 3.7%, the Salary Policy for Academic Staff remains intact with an across-the-board increase of 1% to the base annual academic salary in addition to the lump sum payments ranging from $6,000 to $1,500 depending on performance.

The Provost and Executive Vice-President Christopher Manfredi maintains that the University will continue to “recruit, retain, and award top talent”. Does this include managers as they persevere through these upcoming terminations?

President Saini said that his goal for McGill University is to become “stronger, more resilient, and more impactful”. However, the situation at hand has created instability and fear.

MUNASA intends to persist in endorsing the rights of our membership.  Feel free to reach out to MUNASA with any questions or to express your concerns.

One note of caution from our lawyers: the fact that the University sent a notice of mass terminations – as it is obliged to do – does not negate individual rights of members to receive a compensation based on their individual circumstances. MUNASA will be there to answer questions that you may have prior to signing any settlement agreement with the University. We certainly do encourage you to consult us.

Thank you,

The MUNASA Executive Download the Special Bulletin - March 21, 2025