A majority of Dalhousie University faculty say they’re in favour of a strike as talks resume this week with the school’s Board of Governors.
The faculty says a strike could begin as early as August if an agreement can’t be reached, leaving many students wondering about the fall.
“I hope there’s no strike, so like, business as usual,” said fourth-year student, Ella Cattrysse, who is concerned about graduation.
The Dalhousie Faculty Association said Monday that 91 per cent of its staff voted in favour of strike action if ongoing negotiations with the university are unsuccessful.
“The biggest issue is — for our members — is cost of living,” said faculty association president David Westwood.
“For any worker in Nova Scotia, the cost of living has far outpaced increases in wages and it’s no longer an affordable city to live in.”
He adds he was surprised the university filed for conciliation after only four bargaining sessions.
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“We thought we were making good progress, so it’s a little disappointing, to be honest,” he said.
He says Dalhousie always adhered to a 90-10 rule: 90 per cent full-time staff, 10 per cent contract positions.
However, he says the university wants to cut full-time staff by as much as 10 per cent, which could impact up to 200 jobs.
He says some programs will shut down if the school suffers significant staffing cuts.
In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson from Dalhousie University says conciliation is a routine step in the bargaining process, and they are optimistic that an agreement will be reached.
The next phase of talks, which will be overseen by a conciliator, will begin on Wednesday.
Maren Mealey, president of the Dalhousie Student Union, hopes a strike can be averted.
“Ideally, we get to a place where strikes don’t happen and people are able to make decisions and come to the bargaining table and figure things out in a way that’s good, that serves the need of educators as well to make sure students have a good education going into the fall,” said Mealey.
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