Job actions for striking support staff at the College of New Caledonia will resume Wednesday, but no classes will be cancelled as a result.
The withdrawal of services will involve shipping and receiving staff, mailroom and print room clerks, and the co-ordinator of CNC's Centre for Student Success, all of whom will be off their jobs at the Prince George campus for the next three days.
Unlike the two-day strike last week, when picketing employees closed the college at all six of its campuses, none of the other CUPE Local 4951 operational staff are expected to join in this week's job action.
"We're sending a clear message to the government that we are committed to achieving our goal of a fair wage increase for our members," said CUPE Local 4951 president Lily Bachand. "We know the impact of a full-scale walkout on our students and that's why we are targeting selected departments."
Bargaining is set to resume Friday in Vancouver, with more sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Ian McLean, CUPE's B.C. college co-ordinator, hopes this weekend will be spent talking about a settlement.
The only issue in the dispute is wages. Union members are asking for a four per cent wage hike over the next two years, after two years under the province's net-zero wage increase mandate. CNC support staff have been working without a contract since June 2010. McLean said his members will not back down on their wage demands.
"Our members have been very clear in every one of our worksites that we want fairness and equity with the other groups that have received similar settlements," said McLean.
The provincial government is insisting under its co-operative gains mandate that all public sector wage increases must be covered by savings made elsewhere within existing budgets and McLean thinks that is possible this weekend.
"We might not like what they want to say to us and they might not like what we're going to say to them, but we have to be optimistic because we're talking," said McLean.
"We've opened discussions on some areas where we believe the employers can save some money and by having that commitment to each other, hopefully we can get to where we need to. Both sides have the students at heart and if the employers are serious about the students they will come to the table and meet us halfway. Hopefully we can explore every option to get a deal that won't cause student disruption."
Similar actions that will allow classes to proceed as scheduled take effect this week at College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, North Island College in Port Alberni, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo and Vancouver Community College. BCIT's four campuses in Burnaby will be closed Wednesday due to a strike by vocational instructors and support staff represented by the B.C. Government Employees' Union.
"We are not expecting any disruption to classes this week, although some services will not be available," said Randall Heidt, CNC's director of communications and development. "Job action can take many forms, such as the withdrawal of services, so this is not unusual or unexpected"
Heidt said tutoring and other faculty-supported services in the student success centre will continue, but there will be no booking of new appointments, exam supervision or testing during the job action.
n Support staff at the University of Victoria who belong to CUPE Local 4163 and the Professional Employees Association (PEA) have ratified collective agreements.
CUPE Local 4163 represents close to 1,500 teaching assistants, lab instructors, English language studies instructors and computer lab assistants. The first component of that group will receive wage increases of one per cent effective Sept. 1, 2012, March 13, 2013, Sept. 1, 2013, and March 1, 2014. The second component will net a two per cent general wage increase effective Nov. 1, 2012 and Sept. 1, 2013.
UVic's Professional Employees Association contingent includes 950 non-faculty instructors, administrative and academic professionals working in positions including counsellors, instructors, system analysts, fundraisers, scientific technicians, engineers, and advisors.
Their two-year settlement calls for general wage increases of two per cent on July 1, 2012, and July 1, 2013. All UVic wage increases were funded through savings found within existing budgets, the government announced Tuesday.
