UFV Community,
On Wednesday, May 11, UFV and the FSA engaged in the first of two scheduled days of mediation at the Labour Relations Board in Vancouver.
Requesting mediation when the parties are unable to resolve their differing positions is the right of either party during the course of negotiations. The mediator promotes objectivity and compromise, and acts as a catalyst to help the parties move away from any polarized positions. By meeting with the parties, either jointly or separately, the mediator helps the parties understand each other’s interests and find ways of resolving their differences.
The FSA bargaining team applied for mediation, and UFV supported this as a good course of action to help move negotiations forward. The mediator met with the parties separately, beginning with the FSA, to gain an understanding of the issues to solve in order to arrive at an agreement. The mediator has been very helpful and will continue to assist both parties to achieve a clear understanding of the ways open to them to achieve a mutually beneficial settlement. We remain positive that a settlement can be achieved.
Mediation is scheduled to continue on May 26. Recognizing that additional sessions may be needed to bring things to a successful conclusion, UFV has requested further mediation dates in June, and has confirmed its availability to the offices of the mediator.
For updates on the status of negotiations and related actions, please continue to visit blogs.ufv.ca/labour-update/
Sincerely,
Leslie Courchesne
Executive Director, University Relations
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