(Sackville, NB) — Midway through the third week of the faculty strike at Mount Allison University, the Administration still declines to move from its salary offer.
Over the weekend the two sides had talks about mechanisms to resolve the dispute. On Friday, February 5, the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) proposed that the two sides engage and jointly pay for a private sector professional mediator. Such mediators have a high success rate in resolving disputes.
On Saturday, February 6, the Administration refused the proposal and stated an interest in using an Industrial Inquiry Commission which the Minister of Labour can establish under the Industrial Relations Act. Such a Commission was established during the Irving Refinery Strike in 1995. Usually an Industrial Inquiry Commission investigates the broader causes of industrial disputes and makes non-binding recommendations to end a dispute.
MAFA has submitted a brief to the Ministry of Labour on the usefulness of a Commission in the current dispute [attached]. MAFA continues to advocate binding arbitration as the best means to end the current dispute, and offers to return to the classroom immediately, if the Minister of Labour imposes a mechanism which provides for binding arbitration.
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For more information contact:
Prof. George De Benedetti, President
Mount Allison Faculty Association Strike Headquarters
47 Main Street, Sackville NB
(506) 536-2968 (strike headquarters)
(506) 536-2396 (Home)
FAX (506) 536-0200
[email protected]
http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/MAFA