MUNSU Executive Director of External Affairs Nathan Gillingham says that the executive will motion to go in-camera at its April 1st board meeting, closing the decision-making process on CHMR to the public.
The first section of the meeting will be open to the public to give statements on CHMR. There has been a massive wave of support from the community in favour of keeping CHMR open in the past week.
According to MUNSU’s Instagram post the meeting has been moved online because due to “inclement weather.”
Gillingham says that because meeting will focus on the distribution of documents to Board members relating to employee-employer confidentiality, including CUPE 4554 (Canadian Union of Public Employees local that represents MUNSU staff) correspondence, and collective bargaining matters.
“Our Collective Agreement outlines the Board of Directors as the employer of our unionized staff. Any matter the Board considers relating to this jurisdiction would be best practice as a closed session in order to be in full compliance with labour laws and our expectations as the employer,” says Gillingham.
According to Gillingham, CUPE members will be allowed to attend the closed portion of the meeting. Rhea Rollmann, Station Manager of CHMR tooked to the Instagram comments to express her disapproval of the intention to close the meeting to the public.
“Why is there a closed session with CUPE 4554 members? As a CUPE 4554 member I think it’s really important the debate/discussion be public for all students to watch. CUPE has nothing to hide, why does MUNSU want this session to be secret? “There’s nothing confidential here and students deserve transparency. As a CUPE member I seriously object to the secrecy and really don’t feel comfortable with a secretive closed session, important discussions like this deserve to be made publicly and transparently. Students deserve to see and hear how their elected reps represent them.”
Gillingham says that any decisions made during the meeting will be further communicated in a press conference on April 2nd.
