{"id":46487,"date":"2026-04-10T07:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=46487"},"modified":"2026-04-10T07:57:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:57:11","slug":"okanagan-college-staff-relieved-after-arbitrator-rules-layoffs-breached-contract-okanagan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=46487","title":{"rendered":"Okanagan college staff relieved after arbitrator rules layoffs breached contract – Okanagan"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There is a sense of relief among faculty who work at Okanagan College<\/a> after an arbitrator handed down an interim ruling, stating the post-secondary institution violated its employment contract when it laid off staff last year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is the first time we had to fight for our job security and we won,\u201d said Caroline Gilchrist, president of the Okanagan College Faculty<\/a> Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is historical.\u201d<\/p>\n

The college laid off three Arts faculty members and restructured 14 positions amid declining international student enrolment following a federal cap on study permits.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince 2024, our total international student population has decreased by 50 per cent (from over 2,200 to 1,100 as of January 2026). We anticipate a further decline in Fall 2026,\u201d\u00a0 stated Kevin Parnell, associate director of college relations, in an email.<\/p>\n

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The union says while it understands the financial pressures, the college acted outside of the collective agreement, which allows layoffs only in cases of program cuts, redundancy or financial crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur collective agreement has language that provides a path for the college to use in a situation like this,\u201d Gilchrist said. \u201cFor some reason, the college chose not to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to Parnell, while the college is limited in what it can say as it awaits the full and final decision from the arbitrator, it is taking steps to reinstate the three faculty members at the centre of the ruling by May 1.<\/p>\n

While the union is pleased the college respects the ruling, it says reinstatement shouldn\u2019t be the only option.<\/p>\n

It also argues remedies should be agreed upon by both sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cReinstatement may not be the best remedy for every single one of these individuals,\u201d Gilchrist said. \u201cA year later, every one of these faculty members, they\u2019re in a different point in their lives and they may be looking for a different type of damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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