UNB professors take strike action

More than 1,000 professors, teaching staff and librarians at the University of New Brunswick took strike action Monday to back demands for improved pay and working conditions.

"Fairness and respect, haven't seen it yet," they chanted at the main gates of the Fredericton campus on Monday morning.

Picket lines went up at about 7:30 a.m. Monday — a first in the university's history.

"I'm telling people that today is a peaceful demonstration," said Kelly Day, who teaches nursing, but is serving as a strike captain, organizing shifts and laying down the rules, which include no blocking traffic and no intimidating pedestrians.

"We believe our cause is worth fighting for and that we’re just here to inform," said Day.

The strike affects more than 9,000 students.

UNB has suspended all classes at its Fredericton and Saint John campuses for the duration of the legal strike. Some online courses and those offered in Miramichi will continue.

Miriam Jones, the president of the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers, said her group made a significant modification to its salary proposal in a last-ditch effort Sunday to avert a strike. But Jones said UNB administration made no movement on compensation and an "abrupt retrenchment" on non-monetary issues.

Risk of students losing term

Campbell said if classes don't resume within four weeks, there is a danger of students losing their term.

He suggested it may require back-to-work legislation from the provincial government to end the impasse.

"We don't have more money. We have to manage to the money that we have."

The provincial legislature is scheduled to resume sitting on Feb. 4.

Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Jody Carr says he is monitoring the situation.

"As a government, we recognize that students and the entire university community are affected by this labour dispute, and we remain hopeful for a speedy resolution," Carr said in an emailed statement.

"Our priority is the students’ ability to finish their term with the least amount of disruption possible," he said. "As such, we are monitoring the labour situation closely and continue to encourage both parties — UNB management and the UNB faculty association — to make every effort to resolve this dispute with minimal impact to students."

The president of the student representative council at UNBSJ said students aren't sure where they stand in light of the strike.

"They're not sure in the coming weeks or months or however long this lasts, how this is going to impact their academic career at UNB," said Ashley Macosky.

"As far as students have been told, everything aside from the educational interaction is normal," he said. "So the writing centre, the math help centre, those are all open.

"All the student services are still going on," said Macosky. "There just won't be any in-class instruction or interaction with your professors regarding education."

The student council is staying neutral in the dispute, said Macosky.

"You're still going to be taught by these people. And you're still going to have to deal with them in administration, so you have to be respectful of both sides in this," he said.

Ben Whitney, president of the UNB Student Union, said news of the strike was the last thing students wanted to hear.

He's calling on students to withhold tuition until a settlement is reached. The tuition deadline is Jan. 17.

Classes at neighbouring St. Thomas University in Fredericton are to continue. Faculty at STU have received instructions on how to cross the picket line in order to get to class.

- cbc.ca