Berkeley staff, BPSU to meet soon on cuts
Union executives, Berkeley Institute staff and the school’s board are to meet in an attempt to reach a deal on job cuts, the Bermuda Public Service Union said.According to the BPSU, the school’s board last week threatened to cut eight out of 15 support staff jobs before the start of the school year. The positions, all of which are said to be held by Bermudians, range from janitorial staff to receptionists.Board Chairman Craig Bridgewater chastised the union for speaking out over the August 11 meeting.Mr Bridgewater confirmed that the Berkeley Board of Governors had been examining a variety cost-cutting measures in the wake of this year’s budget cuts, and that a final decision would be made before the start of the school year.Both of the Island’s public schools have had to adopt stringent savings measures during the past six months.Berkeley’s annual funding dropped from $13.48 million to $10.49 million in the latest Budget, and CedarBridge’s fell from $15.69 million to $12.47 million.After a first round of cuts, CedarBridge made an additional three non-teaching staff redundant last month.