Dear MUNASA members,
Having recently honoured MUNASA’s 50th Golden Anniversary at a Conference on November 14th, we feel it is important to share some highlights from this milestone celebration. The objective of the celebration was to mark MUNASA’s achievements while adopting a theme, which would be of service and benefit to our members. The theme, “Wellness – In its Many Forms”, provided an opportunity to offer support to our members in recognition of difficult times. It was also a reflection of how MUNASA values the privilege of having members share their experiences and concerns.
We are grateful for the speakers who contributed to the success of the program. It is also with deep appreciation and gratitude that we acknowledge the Words of Welcome from Principal and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini as he discussed the Vision of the Future for McGill University. Despite the current challenges presented by the government, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini attended the Conference, sharing his commitment to McGill and his insight of the future.
The managers, who were able to attend the event, have expressed their satisfaction with the delivery of the day, as collected through a recent post-event survey. They shared their valuable comments from “this event was one of the best I've ever attended, at McGill or elsewhere” to “wellness and coping strategies are relevant for these times”. MUNASA strived to ensure the value and relevance of the day by offering content related to mental, physical and financial wellbeing.
MUNASA had communicated with Senior Administration to seek support and endorsement to allow managers to attend the Conference. Unfortunately, we did not receive any response. Furthermore, it was with great disappointment to learn that they considered MUNASA’s Golden milestone celebration as an external event. Human Resources Advisors were initially informed by Labour and Employee Relations that managers must take time off or make up their time to attend. MUNASA expressed strong opposition to this approach and interference. Much closer to the date of the Conference, Labour and Employee Relations declared that the University acknowledged the value of the event, allowing supervisors to assess individual requests to participate. MUNASA firmly believes that more members would have been able to attend if this declaration had been made earlier. Expressed support, upon the announcement of the event, would have been greatly valued.
As we move forward, MUNASA will continue to serve in the best interest of our members. We will remain strong and keep you informed of any developments. Please do not hesitate to reach out for support.
Wishing each of you a safe and happy holiday season,
The MUNASA Executive
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