School custodians, maintenance workers protest loss of jobs at new P3 Moncton North school
(2010-02-12) – School custodians, maintenance workers and school bus drivers are hitting the streets Saturday morning to protest the loss of jobs at the new Moncton North School currently under construction.
Brunswick Learning Centres, Inc. will “build-own-maintain” the school on Crown land, and then lease the use of the school to the province under the terms of a long-term contract, with an option to buy-back at market value at the end of the lease. Such an arrangement is known as a “Public-Private-Partnership”. Although few individuals would build their own house under such a money-losing venture, nevertheless the Liberal government seems prepared to tie-up the public purse for the next generation of tax-payers.
Despite the high price tag for Moncton North, school custodians and maintenance workers will take a direct hit when custodial and maintenance work is contracted out by Brunswick Learning Centres, Inc.
Their union, CUPE Local 824, has organized Saturday’s protest, which will take place in front of the school on Ryan St., off of Mountain Rd., at 11:00 a.m. They will throw paper money into a cardboard fire pit, to symbolize how P3’s burn taxpayers money as well as local jobs.
The Liberal government is also building Eleanor Graham School in Rexton under a P3 model, and has plans for three more: New Riverview (District 2), Kennebecasis Park (District 6) and Alexander Gibson Elementary/South Devon Elementary (District 18). This is despite the fact that the Auditor-General of Nova Scotia has recently released a scathing report on the high-cost of P3 (public-private partnership) schools contracted with Scotia Learning Centres. The Auditor-General of New Brunswick has also been critical of P3 ventures in this province, including the Evergreen Park School located in Riverview.
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CUPE Local 824 is a member local union of CUPE Local 1253, New Brunswick Council of School District Unions. For further information please contact Doug Henderson, President, CUPE Local 824, at 850-2610 (cell) or 383-8805 (home).
