St. F-X faculty on strike
Posted Jan 28, 2013 06:54:48 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The union representing the faculty at St. Francis Xavier University are on strike as of this morning.
The St. Francis Xavier Association of University Teachers said in an email Sunday evening, faculty will report for daily strike duty beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday.
“We are saddened and upset that it has come to this point, and that it is going to have an impact on students,” university spokesperson Kyler Bell told News 95.7.
“Our primary intention is to get classes back up and running as soon as possible before there is any negative impact on students,” he said. “We look forward to more constructive negotiations with the AUT executives in future.”
At this point there are no known dates to get back to the bargaining table.
In the meantime, the universtity is encouraging students to keep up with their studies.
“Remain focused on assignments, labs and tutorials,” said Bell. “The one thing I can say about a strike is there is never a pre-determined end period. So it could be resolved very quickly.”
Leading up to the strike, students were voicing concerns about the possibility of losing their credits to the labour dispute.
The university, however, is quelling those fears.
“Recent history shows that any strike action at other institutions, rarely is an accademic term lost,” said Bell.
One of the key points of contention in contract negotiations is salary.
The university said it has proposed a fair offer of almost 7 per cent for those at the top of the salary scale and an average of 16 per cent for those who are not at the top of the pay scale, as well as improvements to job security and benefits.
The union demanding 10.5 per cent over four years.
“(It’s) around $600,000 a year for 400 members,” union president Peter McInnis told Global News earlier this month. “At a time when the faculty compensation has fallen down, the administration has increased theirs over a seven-year period, 77 per cent.”
MacInnis also said benefits need to be improved as they are not as good as the students’ benefits.
“I’ve spoken to members where they can’t get adequate dental coverage for their children,” he said. “Vision care is inadequate.”
The union said it can’t accept the latest contract offer from the school because the raises on the table are well below the cost-of-living.
McInnis said he feels the university administration is unlikely to modify its position until a strike has started.
The St. Francis Xavier Association of University Teachers represents more than 400 members who teach and do research.
