University of Calgary support staff are pushing ahead with a boycott of food outlets owned by Chartwells.
“We’re still boycotting,” said Alberta Union of Provincial Employees Local 52 Chair Shirley Maki. “A lot of staff and certainly the Faculty Association have been supporting us in this boycott.”
The boycott, organized by AUPE, was launched in response to the elimination of 300 positions when Chartwells took over Food Services early this summer.
Although Chartwells operates food outlets in a number of Canadian community colleges and universities, including Concordia University and Olds College, the boycott is a first for the company.
“We’ve never had it happen before,” said Chartwells Senior Director Food Services Jan Morel. “The U of C is a unique situation for us. We are usually the sole provider on a campus.”
Morel said Chartwells is not concerned about the boycott’s effect on its business.
Maki hopes to garner support for the boycott from students and said consultations with the SU are planned for September.
‘Morel wouldn’t comment on how many former Food Services workers were rehired by Chartwells.
“We hired many staff on May 1,” she said. “When they applied we didn’t ask where they worked before because we wanted to hire the best people for the job.”