Dal, faculty talks continue into 2021
Dalhousie University and its faculty have some more work to do before wrapping up a new labour agreement.
The two sides were close to an agreement with the help of conciliation, but the university's board of governors did not accept the full recommendations, deciding not to agree on changes to education leave for instructors.
In a news release Sunday, the Dalhousie Faculty Association said its executive committee accepted all recommendations in the Dec. 16 conciliation report.
“To our surprise and disappointment, the Dalhousie board of governors has rejected the report of the conciliation board,” David Westwood, president of the faculty association, said in the release. “The DFA leadership believes the recommendations in the report are reasonable and do not favour one party over the other. We see no reason why the recommendations should not form the basis of a new collective agreement. At the outset, both parties agreed to this process as a way to resolve disagreement.”
Both sides have committed to no strike or lockout until a meeting between the respective bargaining teams can be convened through conciliator Peter Lloyd.
In a news release on its website, the Halifax university announced that negotiations on a two-year agreement will resume in the new year.
“The final two items, salary increases and changes to education leave for instructors, were put to the conciliation board for review and recommendation,” Jasmine Walsh, Dalhousie's ssistant vice-president of human resources, said in an email. “The Dalhousie board has agreed to accept the conciliation board's recommendation on salary but is not accepting the recommendations on education leave.
“The parties will meet to resolve the one remaining issue, with the aid of the government-appointed conciliator, and we are confident that a settlement will be reached early in the new year.”
The faculty association represents 950 professors, instructors, librarians and professional counsellors at the university. Members voted more than 90 per cent in favour of a strike in October.