UWinnipeg profs postpone strike deadline

The University of Winnipeg has staved off a strike for at least another day.

Faculty members agreed to postpone their strike deadline to Thursday, a stretch of 24 hours from the original deadline of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, to accommodate the entrance of a conciliator from the Manitoba Government. According to the university’s website, a conciliator has been named, with both sides set to meet Wednesday morning.

“While this is a positive development, the University’s administration is concerned that a 24-hour extension of the strike deadline is not an adequate time frame to allow for a successful conciliation process,” reads a recent post on the university’s website. “The administration has requested that UWFA reconsider this decision and allow the conciliator to set the time frame for this process.”

Shannon Sampert, a spokesperson for UWFA, told CBC News that though conciliation may be taking place, a strike is still likely. “It’s just the only way, it seems, that we can get these guys to take us seriously at this point in time. We’ve been without a contract for almost a year,” she said.

A rally was held in support of UWFA members Monday afternoon, where a crowd of around 300 U of W faculty members, students, and staff marched from the university campus to UWFA’s strike headquarters, according to the union’s strike website.