Mount Allison faculty sets strike deadline for Jan. 27

The Mount Allison Faculty Associationhas set a strike deadline of12:01 a.m. on Jan. 27.

The association set the deadline "ina continuing effort to resolve its dispute with the administration over the terms of the next collective agreement," according to a statement issued on Tuesday morning.

Negotiations are scheduled for Friday, but MAFA president Loralea Michaelis says the two sides remain far apart.

Eighty-six per cent of full-time and part-time faculty and librarians at the Sackville university voted in favour of strike action on Jan. 15.

We had hoped that this evidence of member resolve would persuade the administration to take our concerns seriously," said Michaelis. "It seems to have made little difference."

The university is "disappointed" by the strike deadline, according to an emailed statement.

But the administration "remains committed" to working to achieve a negotiated settlement that "maintains the high-quality student experience in a sustainable way," the statement says.

The union says workload and the need to provide greater support to the core academic mission of the university are the key issues in the dispute.

Salaries, pensions and benefits for full-time and part-time members are also areas of contention, it says.

The association represents154 full-time and 56 part-time academic staff.

Contract negotiations have been taking place since July.