With the planned closure of Yukon College during the 2007 Canada Winter Games, 74 workers are scheduled to go without pay for 11 days.

The Yukon government owns the college buildings. With the decision that the college will be one of the main venues for the sporting event, it's scheduled to be closed from its traditional academic functions from Feb. 22 to March 10, 2007.

Instructional staff's pay will not be impacted and custodial staff are expected to still have work available to them.

However, individuals working in administrative positions, management, reception, admissions and as library staff will be placed in a situation the Yukon Employees Union (YEU) is labelling as the equivalent of being locked out or laid off.

The current list of four options for the affected employees are to:

ï use their vacation leave;

ï take the time as leave without pay;

ï earn enough overtime prior to the event to compensate for the hours lost; or

ï combine the options to cover the period of time.

'You've got a choice: you can either go to Mexico or take two weeks off during the Games,' NDP MLA Steve Cardiff told the Star.

'I guess you could take two weeks off and go to Mexico for the Games; that would be great for the volunteer aspect of the Games.'

Each employee affected by the college's closure will lose approximately $3,000 in pay, said Tracy English, president of the YEU's Yukon College local.

'The bottom line is that the college is forcing its own employees to subsidize the Games with $3,000 each,' Eric Fairclough, the NDP MLA for Mayo-Tatchun, told the legislature Tuesday.

The union and college officials entered into negotiations Tuesday to attempt to revise a current list of options for the support staff who will be affected by the closure.

YEU president Laurie Butterworth said the word 'layoff' is no longer on the table.

'We're hoping that we'll be able to get, through a conversation with the president up there anyway, something more substantial,' said Butterworth.

'It sounds like there's some opening doors up there into other opportunities right now, so I'm hoping we can get this settled in the next month and have a better outlook for the people who were not being paid.'

The current list of options was created unilaterally by the college's administration, said English.

'They just came up with the four options,' she said. 'There has been a lot of concern around the college and a lot of animosity.'

The concern mounted because it appeared the college was not willing to talk to the staff until after questions were asked in the legislative assembly yesterday, said Butterworth.

The NDP raised the questions about the situation at the college.

However, Education Minister John Edzerza is away. Acting Education Minister Elaine Taylor, Community Services Minister Glenn Hart and Deputy Premier Peter Jenkins all claimed to have no knowledge of the issue.

'I cannot comment on what is fair or what is not fair, as I am not aware of the issue at hand,' said Taylor. 'I did provide a commitment to the member opposite to take this issue under advisement.'

Said Jenkins: 'The issue of staff layoffs at the college site that has just come to our attention today.... We will do our level best to see that all Yukoners are looked after to the best of our ability and that Yukon does an excellent job in putting these games on and hosting this fantastic event.'

Cardiff said with the government owning the 17-year-old buildings and being involved in the request for their closure, it should know how the decisions will affect the workers.

The current negotiations are focusing on the creation a fifth option to enable employees to volunteer at the Games and to continue to receive pay.

A similar option is being offered to Yukon government employees.

'It just doesn't make sense to me,' said Cardiff, who represents Mt. Lorne.

'The government came out with a volunteer policy for their employees if you're volunteering at a certain level in the Games, you don't lose any wages. If some employees are going to be paid for those two weeks, they should all be paid for those two weeks.'

Butterworth agrees.

'We just can't see that the people who are affected can't get to be volunteers and still paid,' he said. 'We're hoping people will be able to volunteer in different jobs at the college to allow them to still work.'

The negotiations with the college are scheduled to resume Thursday.

Representatives from Yukon College had not returned phone calls from the Star by press time this afternoon.