Pickets remained up Monday after the University of Northern British Columbia's Faculty Association confirmed rejection over the weekend of the latest offer from administration, raising gender pay equity as a major sticking point.
"We simply don't understand why the Employer would ask our members to accept a pay structure that exacerbates the gender pay gap relative to our proposal," UNBC FA President Stephen Rader said in a statement issued Monday. "Instead of working with us to ensure a fair and equitable compensation model, the Employer has prolonged the strike by another day and a half."
It said that in order to draw funding for research from the federal government, UNBC has an equity, diversity and inclusion plan in place for research chairs but not for faculty in general, a situation UNBC gender studies professor Dana Wessell Lightfoot found "alarming."
The Faculty Association also accused administration of seeking an agreement to allow it to break contracts with some of its members that fall outside of the collective agreement. Agreeing to the measure could put the union in legal jeopardy and cause "grave financial risk," the Faculty Association asserted.
And it says administration is seeking the right to communicate directly with members' physicians "in ways that infringe upon the legal privacy of our members."
On Friday, administration posted details of the offer on the UNBC website, saying it features a "superior compensation model" and backs away from issues deemed as key rights by the Faculty Association.
It said the Faculty Association rejected the offer but added it was to remain on the table until Saturday afternoon. In turn, the Faculty Association said administration "abruptly broke off negotiations" when its bargaining team raised the gender pay equity issue.
UNBC spokesperson Matt Wood provided a limited response on Monday but indicated the sides are back at the table.
"Sorry, but given the teams are at the bargaining table as we speak, we're going to hold off on any public comments so we don't hinder progress," he said.
Also on Monday, about 50 students attended a noontime rally at the campus gate in which speakers put the full blame for the strike at the feet of administration.
"We have had enough of the publicity stunts of the administration team releasing half truths about unfinished and unaccepted offers," Aaron Larsen, who is working towards a masters degree in history at the school.
The strike entered its 18th day on Monday.
