Cape Breton University and faculty to meet Thursday as possible strike looms
The interim president of Cape Breton University says he hopes the school and the faculty union can agree on a new contract when the two sides meet with a conciliator Thursday.
Dale Keefe, who was a faculty member on the picket line during the 2000 strike, said he's hopeful a deal can be reached.
The Cape Breton University Faculty Association announced it would be giving 48-hour strike notice to the province's Labour Department on Saturday if no progress is made at the upcoming talks. That means a strike could happen by Monday.
The union did not want to comment this week on the contract dispute.
'We'll get through it'
The university is posting information on contract negotiations on its website for students concerned about how a labour disruption will affect them.
"While it is very stressful … we recognize that but we will get through it, there will be a resolution. The faculty association hasn't formally filed notice yet," Keefe told CBC's Mainstreet Cape Breton.
If strike notice is served, he said, the school will ramp up communication with students.
"And just because the notice is served, it doesn't mean you have to go on strike in the 49th hour."
Layoff procedure biggest obstacle
The layoff clause in the current collective agreement is the key issue in the contract dispute.
It allows the university to lay off faculty members under two conditions: a financial emergency or academic reasons if the university needs or wants to shut down a program.
The union said it could affect the wider community because cutting programs would limit what post-secondary university education would be available on Cape Breton.
The union thought it had a three-year contract agreement in November, but the university's board of governors voted it down in December. The board also voted to release CBU president David Wheeler, putting Keefe in the job until a replacement is found.
