Formal Grievance Procedure

11.1.3 Formal Grievance Procedure

The following describes the general steps applicable to a formal grievance.  If necessary, considering the specific reporting structure of the parties involved and other relevant factors, the Grievance Officer may modify this process as needed in order to enable appropriate consideration of the matters raised.  In such an event, the parties will be notified of any modifications in writing.

Step I

Grievant’s Responsibility:  To initiate a formal grievance, the Grievant must submit a grievance in writing to the Grievance Officer within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of notice of termination for cause or within ten (10) working days after the unsuccessful informal resolution.

The written grievance must include a clear statement of the issue being grieved and the facts giving rise to the grievance; a report on the efforts to resolve the matter informally (for issues not involving termination for cause), such facts as may be needed in arriving at a prompt and effective resolution, and the desired outcome of the grievance. Forms will be provided for this purpose.  To enable the grievance process to move forward efficiently, the Grievance Officer shall have the discretion to request that the Grievant clarify the issue or facts supporting the grievance, and the Grievant shall cooperate with such requests in good faith.  The Grievance Officer shall have the right to reject grievance statements, in whole or in part, that fail to include the information required above, that are excessive in length, contain irrelevant or unrelated information, or material that is beyond the scope of the issue(s) being grieved.

 Within five (5) working days of receipt of the grievance statement, the Grievance Officer shall transmit a copy of the grievance to the Respondent and notify the Respondent’s Vice-Chancellor that a grievance has been submitted.

 Respondent’s Responsibility:  The Respondent shall, to the best of his or her ability, review and respond to the Grievance Officer, in writing, within five (5) working days of receipt of the grievance statement. If applicable, the written response shall contain the Respondent’s proposal for resolution of the grievance, of which are within his or her control, and the reason for the course of action proposed.  In the event that the Respondent does not believe a course of action should be taken, the Respondent should address the reason for the determination, including any supporting documentation.

 Within five (5) working days of receipt of the grievance response, the Grievance Officer shall transmit a copy to the Grievant.

For the full listing of all of the steps in the Formal Grievance Procedure, please Click Here.