Collective agreement negotiations
April 10, 2014
The university and the Faculty Association must now begin negotiating our first collective agreement under the BC Labour Relations Code. It represents a completely new labour relations environment for faculty and librarians at our university.
The importance of the bargaining process
A first collective agreement will provide the structure for our new relationship and set the course for all our future dealings around terms and conditions of employment. A first agreement is an important undertaking and, while both parties will work diligently toward that end, it will likely take some time to get it right.
What happens in the interim?
In the meantime, the existing Framework Agreement will continue to apply for most day to day operations. Changes to any terms and conditions of employment that require individual negotiations for faculty members and librarians will, however, now take place through a Faculty Association representative.
Until we have concluded negotiations, the University and Faculty Association have agreed that a transition team will address any matters of joint concern. The team comprises two members from the association—Doug Baer and Richard Pickard, and two members of the administration—Mary Anne Waldron and Pamela Nielsen.
Preparations for bargaining
We understand that the Faculty Association has been consulting with its members to prepare for bargaining. For the university’s part, we have been reviewing contracts in place at other institutions and discussing priorities and perspectives with the administration team, the BC government and our board of governors.
Our goal
Our goal through the bargaining process is to reach an agreement that will maintain the positive and supportive working environment for all faculty members and librarians, while meeting UVic’s obligations to our students and society.
We are committed to discussing a range of issues related to the terms and conditions of employment and to identifying creative, workable solutions that fit the UVic community and circumstances. These, of course, must be accomplished within the constraints of the bargaining mandate set by the BC government.
University negotiating team
• Mary Anne Waldron, Associate Vice-President Faculty Relations & Academic Administration (chief negotiator)
• Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey, Associate Dean, Administration & Research, Faculty of Law
• Jonathan Bengtson, University Librarian
• Kane Kilbey, Associate Vice-President Human Resources
• Mike Miller, Associate Vice-President Research
• Mary Ellen Purkis, Dean, Faculty of Human & Social Development
Regular communications
With the new labour relations environment and the many changes that will accompany it, we will be communicating regularly by email and through the web to keep you up to date on the process and to answer common questions as they arise. Watch for our new bargaining information website later this month.
We remain firmly committed to working together for the benefit of our students, our university, and society as a whole.