Press release : Sainte-Anne Admin Declines Arbitration

Church Point, Nova Scotia—The administration of Université Sainte-Anne has declined an invitation to enter binding arbitration and immediately return students and professors to class here in the fourth week of a strike. Following a meeting with Nova Scotia’s Acting Chief Conciliation and Mediation Officer, the Association of Professors and Librarians of Université Sainte-Anne (APPBUSA) formally requested binding arbitration so that teaching could resume ASAP. 

When the recent strike at Acadia University hit four weeks, both the Acadia University Faculty Association and Acadia’s administration agreed to binding arbitration to swiftly return students to class. Although the Association of Professors and Librarians of Université Sainte-Anne (APPBUSA) proposed binding arbitration, the administration of Université Sainte-Anne has declined this swift method of strike resolution.

Professor Darryl Whetter says, “By declining arbitration the Sainte-Anne Administration, few of whom are research professors or have taught substantially this century, are throwing away our students’ semester. If binding arbitration is good enough for neighbouring Acadia University, why isn’t acceptable here at Sainte-Anne?”

Only two weeks of lecture time remain in the University’s traditional semester. APPBUSA proposed arbitration so that students could receive their diplomas, pursue their hard-fought internships, practicums, or summer jobs and/or move on to professional and graduate programs.

Professor Whetter adds, “The administration may spin our claim that they have declined arbitration, but they tried to pre-impose their own limits on arbitration. That’s not how binding arbitration works. To pre-impose conditions on binding arbitration is contradictory.”

Binding arbitration also recently ended prolonged strike at the University of Manitoba.

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For more information, contact:

Prof. Darryl Whetter, darrylwhetter@gmail.com, (902) 837-6050

English Spokesperson, APPBUSA