Acadia Cancels Classes As 350 Staff Members Go On Strike
WOLFVILLE–Students at Acadia University did not head to class February 1 due to a faculty strike.
Classes and labs have been cancelled until further notice. The university will continue to provide all other campus services.
A news release says the strike comes after efforts to reach a new collective agreement with the school’s administration failed.
“We are deeply troubled that this situation impacts students,” says university bargaining team spokesperson Dr. Dale Keefe. “While there is currently disagreement on what the final collective agreement contains, both parties – the Faculty Association and University Administration – ultimately want the best for our students.”
The university began negotiating the collective agreement with the Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) in July. Members include 350 full-time and part-time professors, librarians, archivists, and instructors.
A provincial conciliator was brought in to help in November. Negotiations reached an impasse earlier this month with talks picking back up last week.
The strike action came into effect just after midnight. Discussions are continuing.
AUFA President Andrew Biro says he is “disappointed” with the university’s approach to the negotiations.
“We value the quality education Acadia provides its students, and Acadia’s faculty have gone above and beyond to support our students through these past two years of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the board has been unwilling to acknowledge the importance of faculty or recognize that decent working conditions guaranteed by a fair and equitable contract are paramount for us to continue to serve our important role in sustaining Acadia’s strong academic programming,” he said in a news release.
In another statement, Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Danny Cavanagh called on Acadia’s board to take the negotiations seriously and come back to the table with a new offer.
“The faculty want to improve the academic sector through improved wages and working conditions for part-time faculty, a commitment to increasing the diversity of faculty through dedicated positions for Indigenous faculty and improvements to the hiring process, and salaries for full- and part-time faculty that do not fall too far below cost of living increases,” he said.
Skye Bryden-Blom is a reporter with CKHZ 103.5 in Halifax, a Huddle content partner.