(Montreal) Professors at Université Laval have just given themselves a two-week strike mandate.
The strike planned by the Union of Professors of Laval University (SPUL) will take place from February 20 to March 3, unless significant progress is made by then.
It is 96% that they voted in favor of such a mandate, during a general meeting. The union represents 1,300 teachers.
In an interview on Tuesday, the president of the union, Louis-Philippe Lampron, explained that it was to give the negotiations a good chance that the date for the start of the strike was set for February 20.
“This is precisely why we have chosen to offer members a two-week term, on the one hand, but also a term that does not have to be exercised immediately, that does not hang like a sword of Damocles . We wanted there to be predictability. This is why we postponed the start of a possible strike until a month later, on February 20, to send the message to the employer that the colleagues are massively behind the demands that are brought to the negotiation”, explained Mr. Lampron.
The union hopes that it will not end up having to exercise its strike mandate.
“The mandate we got from colleagues is not to go on strike if the bargaining committee sees significant progress for each of these four pillars,” he reported.
The “pillars” are the four main demands of the SPUL, starting with salaries. The SPUL is calling for salary increases that take inflation into account, in addition to catching up with other universities known to do a lot of research.
Second, it claims a reduction in the workload. Mr. Lampron reports that the number of students at Université Laval has grown, while the number of professors has not, which has led to an increase in the professor-student ratio.
Finally, he calls for protection of the principle of collegial management of the university, as well as better protection of professors on sick leave or in precarious employment.
Management ready to negotiate briskly
Invited to comment, the management of Laval University confirmed having received the message from the union. “Pressure tactics are always a possibility during collective bargaining. They are governed by the Labor Code. »
The management says it is ready to negotiate briskly. “As part of the negotiations between Université Laval and the SPUL, meetings have taken place regularly and others are already scheduled. It is therefore appropriate to let the parties exchange. We hope that the discussions will continue smoothly, with the aim of reaching an agreement as soon as possible. »
The vice-rector for studies and student affairs, responsible for health, Cathia Bergeron, sent a message to the students, in the event of a strike. “To members of the student community, note that if the SPUL chooses to resort to pressure tactics or to avail itself of the strike mandate it has given itself, we will inform you quickly and the required contingency plans will be deployed” , it is claimed.
Treasury Board disappointment
The Treasury Board Secretariat said it was “disappointed” that the PSAC “chose to call for strike votes instead of focusing on negotiating collective agreements for its members.”
“In the collective bargaining process, strikes are a last resort. We believe that there is a great deal of leeway to negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement for public servants. We call on the PSAC to return to the bargaining table,” read an emailed statement.
The Treasury Board Secretariat points out that there has already been the signing of “an agreement with another bargaining agent which provides for salary increases of more than 10% over four years”.
“Such increases are consistent with those of other comparable public service collective agreements established elsewhere in Canada. We are confident that similar results can be achieved for other public servants at the bargaining table. And the sooner we get there, the sooner public servants will get their pay raises. »