Update: DFA negotiations back on

The Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) and Dal admin will be back in negotiations this week, almost two weeks after the last failed conciliation meeting.

Karen Janigan, communications officer for the DFA, said today that although she did not know exact dates, the DFA will be returning to the table.

“We look forward to reaching an agreement with regard to the outstanding issues,” she said in an email.

“It is certainly a good sign that the Board’s team is finally eager to meet with the DFA’s team about substantive issues.”

Those “substantive issues” include the governance and structure of the Dal Pension Plan, which was only discussed on the final day of conciliation.

Both sides have agreed on a move to a jointly sponsored plan (JSPP), which would save the university $50 million in solvency payments per year.

But much more remains to be decided, including the administration’s proposal to take the pension out of the collective agreement.

The DFA has also said that administration needs to accept four key points before any progress can be made.

Those points are that the administration needs to take responsibility for all past debt, the DFA needs to have veto power over changes to the plan, those changes also need to be subject to a ratification vote by the DFA, and there needs to be a reasonable cap on the amount each member pays into the plan. More details are available in the “Faculty Strike?” section of the Gazette website.

The DFA is legally able to go on strike March 10. The DFA is holding a meeting with student leaders on Feb. 27. More information will be available then.