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Students stage sit-ins, rallies as UNBC strike nears 3-week mark
British ColumbiaStudents at the University of Northern British Columbia have begun staging rallies and sit-ins at their school’s administration building, demanding a resolution to job action that has kept them out of class since Nov. 7.Province is appointing a special mediator as deadline to complete fall semester in 2019 approachesAndrew Kurjata · CBC News ·…
Students at the University of Northern British Columbia have begun staging rallies and sit-ins at their school's administration building, demanding a resolution to job action that has kept them out of class since Nov. 7.
Province is appointing a special mediator as deadline to complete fall semester in 2019 approaches
Andrew Kurjata · CBC News ·
Students at the University of Northern British Columbia have begun staging rallies and sit-ins at their school's administration building, demanding a resolution to job action that has kept them out of class since Nov. 7.
Graduate student Aaron Larsen said the sit-ins will go around the clock starting Wednesday, as the strike hits the three-week mark.
Meanwhile, the B.C. government says it will appoint a special mediator to resolve the conflict between university administration and the faculty association.
Approximately 3,500 students are being affected by the job action at campuses in Prince George, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Quesnel and Fort St. John.
Melanie Bellwood, a first-year education student, said she is becoming increasingly anxious every day the strike continues.
“I pay $1,000 a month to pay rent to live in Prince George to see if maybe we'll go back to school,” she said. “It's put everything I've worked really hard for on hold.”
Bellwood has a part-time job downtown, but also works in the university archives, so the strike is impacting her financially. She's considering taking next semester off to ensure she doesn't fall further behind if the job action continues into the new year.
Semester likely to be completed in new year: university
Both UNBC's administration and faculty association said it's unlikely the fall semester will be cancelled altogether.
But in a notice to students, the university said the school has already passed the point where students would be able to complete their exams on schedule. Exams will instead be cancelled or held early in the new year.
And if a deal isn't reached by Dec. 3, classes may have to be finished in 2020.
Ann Duong works as a teaching assistant and plans to start her graduate studies next September, but said many of her peers are planning to transfer away from the university as a result of the strike.
“They'll be going to another school or taking other courses,” she said.
Both Bellwood and Duong said one of their biggest concerns is that the strike might dissuade future students from attending the school, putting even more financial pressure on the university in the future.
Negotiations at an ‘impasse'
In a letter to the province sent Tuesday morning, UNBC faculty association president Stephen Rader said talks had reached an “impasse” and called on Minister of Labour Harry Bains to appoint a special mediator to help reach a resolution.
A spokesperson for the ministry said Bains would be following through on that request. UNBC administration also posted a notice online saying they support the appointment.
Rader said the main sticking point in negotiations at this point is the administration's insistence they be allowed to break some aspects of signed contracts with the faculty association's approval.
Rader said such approval would open the faculty association to legal action, and called the demand “unacceptable.”
He also said faculty and the university disagree on specific pay scales for different positions, though he believes both sides agree on the overall budget for faculty pay.
The university's administrative team is not speaking to media while negotiations are pending.
Rader said he expects a special negotiator will be able to resolve these issues and get students back to class quickly.
“With a day or less of concerted bargaining we could reach an agreement,” he said. “[But] we've been saying that for most of the last week, so take that as you will.”
It's been nearly three weeks since UNBC students were in a classroom or lab. The faculty association has been on strike since Nov. 7 and it's still not clear when an agreement with the university will be in place. The CBC's Andrew Kurjata reports. 6:06
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