The Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada has laid off 30 unionized staff members amid financial troubles.
The employees were unionized and belonged to CUPE 15, the local branch of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees). The 30 employees fired by the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) accounted for 20 percent of the 150 unionized employees at the museum. Warren Williams, president of CUPE 15, said that even though they are yet to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the dismissals, he had nevertheless approved the severance package given by the museum to the employees.
The Vancouver Art Gallery has been in hot water for quite some time now. In March, Anthony Keindl – director and chief executive of the museum – departed from VAG. But the biggest thorn for the museum had been the ambitious new building they had to cancel last December after its budget rose from C$400 million to C$600 million ($420 million). The museum has been trying to relocate to a new place for almost 15 years now. Plans for a grand new home got their first blow when the city of Vancouver, one of the funders of the museum, levied budget cuts. In January, VAG announced that they are looking for a simpler, smaller alternative home now.
Also Read: New EU Law To Curb Antiquities Trafficking To Go In Effect
Williams said that this union will continue trying to get “better severance packages—as our collective agreement allows for our members. Those who want to move on from the gallery need a financial incentive to do so, as well as protection of benefits for a certain amount of time and career counselling.” However, he also acknowledged that the VAG has been in financial troubles for quite some time now, and the staff cuts are largely symptotic of that.
