Students caught in the crossfire between Dalhousie University and faculty association

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

Students across Nova Scotia and the country are heading off to universities and colleges, but in Halifax, some are having to pause because of an ongoing labour dispute.

Dalhousie University locked out members of the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) last week and issued a warning to students that some of them may be impacted. About 1,000 professors, librarians and other teaching staff have been locked out for less than two weeks before students return for the fall term, after contract talks stalled between the two parties.

The current contract agreement expired, and in June, 85.5 per cent of the faculty association membership participated in a strike vote, with 91.2 per cent voting in favour of strike action if an acceptable deal couldn’t be reached.

This has raised concerns for students attending the university, with many from the Maritimes taking a “wait and see” approach, the Dalhousie Student Union president told The Todd Veinotte Show.

“Folks are concerned about what an extended labour dispute looks like, whether that means they lose their fall reading week, whether that means they might lose an entire credit,” Maren Mealey, said.

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The university says, the campus remains open, but all classes taught by members of the DFA are suspended. Dalhousie also says students should plan to arrive on campus as usual in the fall, as residences and food services will remain open.

Mealey said students are still moving into residences and have orientation activities, but whether they will be able to attend classes is not certain. She said the majority of classes, 90 per cent, are taught by members of the DFA, meaning there could be many students who won’t start the curriculum on time.

“The university just told me they’re supposed to release which classes are going ahead in the next coming days,” Mealey said.

Buildings, according to the student union president, are still supposed to be open, but students won’t be able to get in touch with their professors since they are locked out of their emails.

Students in higher years of education at the university are fearful about what a longer-term lockout could mean.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about people worried about what an extended strike means for their ability to get credit,” Mealey said. “And beyond just folks who are potentially graduating their undergrad right now, I’ve heard lots from graduate students as well who might be starting the graduate program and difficult to get connected to their supervisor.”

The faculty association has said the main issues in the dispute are wages and the university’s reliance on limited-term contracts. It has said that it is looking for wages that keep up with inflation and make up for a nine per cent loss in real wages over the past 10 years.

In a statement Aug. 20, the university said its ability to increase faculty salaries is limited.

The school said while its decision “has not been made lightly” it locked out professors after it offered them salary increases of two per cent per year over three years.

“The board’s final proposal offers what the university can to increase support for faculty while, at the same time, protecting core academic activity and minimizing further significant layoffs in the years ahead,” the university said.

With files from The Canadian Press.