SFU ends Lions Gate contract amid concerns
Posted October 12, 2023 1:43 pm.
Last Updated October 12, 2023 1:44 pm.
Simon Fraser University (SFU) says it has ended its contract with Lions Gate Risk Management Group (LGRMG) amid concerns about the firm.
SFU explains the private investigation firm was hired to monitor picket lines during an ongoing strike by members of the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), which represents nearly 1,600 workers at the school.
The university says its decision to end its contract with LGRMG came after “concerns from our community.” It adds it will “reassess how we support safety on our picket lines going forward, as well as how we assess and determine contracted safety providers in the future.”
“I guess we welcome the news. We didn’t want these people. Just this morning, when we got that (news), we were crafting a message that we were going to demand that they (SFU) call these people off, that they ban them from our campus,” Kelvin Gawley, a TSSU member and organizer, told CityNews Thursday.
Despite SFU’s decision, Gawley says TSSU members still have concerns about the initial decision by the school to hire LGRMG
“But, you know, the fact remains that they (SFU) still did this. They chose to hire these private investigators — we don’t know how much it cost, it must have cost thousands and thousands of dollars. They’ve had at least four of these people following us around. These types of companies aren’t cheap, and this is the same university that says they can’t afford to pay us a living wage,” he added.
“Obviously we noticed these people — they’re not exactly the most subtle of spies in the world. They’re just sort of standing around, pointing camcorders at us and stuff, and we saw them every single day as we moved from campus to campus in our rolling pickets.”
SFU previously said LGRMG was “not providing security services or engaging with picketers,” and that the company’s “sole purpose” was to “support the safety of all of SFU’s community members during this difficult time by recording the activities outlined above.”
The activities to be videotaped included instances of “behaviour escalation at the picket line that could constitute bullying/harassment or physical safety/assault,” and “illegal activity,” SFU explained.
The university said it hired LGRMG to monitor picket line activity after the school received complaints from “faculty, staff, students, contractors and TSSU.”
“TSSU was made aware of complaints about picket line behaviour on several occasions, with continued concerns raised about safety. This behaviour included intimidation and entryways being illegally blocked. SFU has also heard complaints from TSSU members about behaviours from SFU community members,” SFU wrote in an update Wednesday.
However, Gawley questions that reasoning, saying while the picket lines may be loud, they are also “peaceful places” and “joyful.”
“This is how we resist the school’s treatment of us, this is how we get a fair deal, and they seem to treat us like dangerous criminals. This is the same company (LGRMG) that Teal Jones hires to infiltrate and spy on land defenders on Vancouver Island, this is the same company that does security for Trans Mountain, which SFU says it opposes,” he said.
“It’s baffling, it’s unbelievable that they would treat us this way.”
Gawley claims members of LGRMG have been talking to TSSU workers, following them around, and refusing to identify themselves.
TSSU members began withdrawing their services and walking off the job last month. Job action has meant approximately half of all teaching staff at SFU haven’t been working.
The union, which is largely made up of teaching assistants, is asking for a cost-of-living wage adjustment and a new contract, as its previous deal expired in April 2022.
Gawley says negotiations seemed to be progressing this week, though he admits it’s unclear where talks stand right now.
On Wednesday, SFU said it was “committed to remaining at the bargaining table with TSSU until an agreement can be reached.” It added a mediator is available from Friday to Sunday, and that “the university has proposed that mediation begin on Friday, October 13.”
“We care deeply about our community and recognize the disruptions that this labour action is having on our students, faculty, and staff, as well as TSSU members. Accordingly, SFU has asked TSSU to pause the work stoppage and picket lines while the parties work towards an agreement through mediation,” SFU’s statement reads.
-With files from Charlie Carey
