Administrative and support workers at Cape Breton University represented by CUPE 3131 have filed for conciliation after bargaining talks broke down between the union and the employer.
This marks the second time this calendar year CBU negotiators have been unable to close a deal without the assistance of the provincial conciliation services department. The announcement comes just months after CBU faculty walked off the job in January.
CUPE 3131 members work in a variety of administrative roles in the university, including in the finance department, admissions and registration, student affairs, library services, IT, and academic support.
Local president Allana Serroul says admin staff aren’t seeing the increases they need to keep up with the rising cost of living in CBRM. “From 2020 to 2022, David Dingwall had a salary increase of 33%, and that’s before all the additional benefits he receives as the University President. During the same period, our salary increase has been just 3.8%. We’re the people who pay CBU’s bills, but on these salaries, we can’t pay our own.”
While a conciliator has been appointed, a date for the conciliation meeting has yet to be set.