Faculty and staff at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) are getting closer to the possibility of a strike as the college has not yet come to a collective agreement, after months of bargaining.
The Atlantic Academic Union (AAU) had the highest voter turnout in its history, with 97 per cent of its members in favor of a strike.
Susan Thompson-Graham, lead negotiator for the union which represents thousands of members, told our newsroom the biggest issues are working conditions, job security and wages.
Thompson-Graham said faculty work over 70 hours a week including nights and weekends with hundreds of students to deal with.
She adds that pay hasn’t caught up with inflation, but there have been increases in wages for management. Some positions have even been reclassified as management roles, particularly with librarians which has workers concerned not only about job security, but there being less staff for students.
The two sides have been negotiating since August but have come to an impasse.
Thompson-Graham said the union does not want to strike, but NSCC “has closed a door.”
Meanwhile, in a statement to our newsroom, NSCC, said since collective bargaining started, they have had close to 30 positive and productive meeting days. The college and the union are moving to conciliation “a legitimate next step in working towards collective agreements.”
The college added their focus remains on reaching an agreement that “strengthen the working and learning environment for our employees and our students and are hoping to do so without the need for job action.”
A conciliator was appointed January 26, but the union is still waiting to hear about a meeting schedule.
