This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
"We continue to believe that the Provincial Template Table is the best way to reach a coordinated, fair and reasonable agreement in the post secondary sector.” - BCGEU President, Darryl Walker.
Vancouver (16 April 2012) - Following more than two years of protracted negotiations, the Post Secondary Employers Association (PSEA) announced that it is abandoning the Provincial Template Table negotiations, the College and Institute Support Staff Bargaining Association (CISSBA) said today.
The employer group, which represents nine of 19 college, institute and university employers, cited the potential impact of Provincial Template Table negotiations on other local post secondary tables as a reason for walking away from the negotiations.
“We are disappointed that PSEA has decided to abandon the Provincial Template Table negotiations,” says Darryl Walker, President of the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU/NUPGE). “Little has changed since we began coordinated negotiations with employers in 2010. We continue to believe that the Provincial Template Table is the best way to reach a coordinated, fair and reasonable agreement in the post secondary sector.”
In abandoning the Provincial negotiations, PSEA has decided to move bargaining on monetary issues to the 19 individual local tables – further complicating the bargaining process and achieving little advantage.
CISSBA remains committed to work together toward a coordinated bargaining strategy, working with individual bargaining committees at local tables, and to encourage employers to return to Provincial negotiations.
The days and weeks ahead will show whether employers are committed to reaching a settlement. CISSBA will continue to seek input from members on options to move negotiations forward.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE