UNBC faculty “surprised” by strike suspension

After two weeks, UNBC students got some good news – school will be back in session Friday.

The strike has been suspended, and Faculty President Jacqueline Holler says professors will be back in classes, but the dispute is not over.

“Our members are back at work [Thursday], doing other aspects of their jobs but teaching,” she says. “The actual classes [Friday], while that’s going on, this dispute will wind its way through the process.”

Holler says the strike has been suspended while the Labour Relations Board moves in with a special procedure used in times when two sides can’t reach an agreement through collective bargaining for the first time.

She says this move by the university was a surprise.

“We had expected that this would be settled through negotiations,” she says. “On the other hand, this is a process that’s available under the law, and we accept that.”

Holler says the intent is to keep negotiations moving at the bargaining table.

“That said, we are confident that the Labour Relations Board knows what it’s doing and will handle the application appropriately.”

Vice President of External Relations – Rob van Andrichem echoes that statement from the employer’s side.

“We’ve been hopeful about that ever since this whole thing began, we’ve been keen for getting a negotiated settlement and we remain so,” he says.

As for what students can expect when they’re back at class, van Andrichem says it will be different for a lot of students.

“We have hundreds of students, for example, that have been on practicum placements, they’ll go back to their regular schedule, then a process will be implemented, so that material, where it’s appropriate, can be made up.”

The idea is that the semester will end on schedule, according to administration.

“Especially for those students that are keen to begin jobs, or applying for graduate school, or preparing to transition to another program,” van Andrichem explains.

Late Wednesday night, UNBC President Daniel Weeks (pictured) took to their website to break the news that the strike had been suspended.

“The University has decided to apply to the Labour Relations Bard for access to a specialized process that is available when the parties have been unable to reach a first collective agreement through negotiations. Either party may apply for access to this specialized process. One effect of such an application is to suspend any strike activity that may be taking place.”

Though both sides have signed-off on a majority of issues at the bargaining table, wage issues remains the biggest and most polarizing element.