Classes are just beginning for SIAST students, but if negotiations between the school's management and employees' union don't improve this weekend, they could end just as quickly.
SIAST employees, including approximately 1,300 instructors and 700 professional services staff, have threatened to strike if a settlement is not reached by Tuesday. They have been without a contract for more than two years.
With the threat of job action looming, some students are beginning to worry their investment in education will go to waste if the strike drags on.
Jake Tenuta is taking the heavy duty equipment mechanic course at the Kesley campus. Since the course is only eight weeks long, missing four days could leave him irretrievably behind.
"I don't know what would happen. There's only so much time they can push the course forward," he said.
Other students are concerned they will be left to learn the material on their own.
"From what I'm hearing, if it happened, we'd have to do our own self-study. It's tough enough to learn everything, but getting one-on-ones with profs makes
it a lot better. Most students wouldn't understand it on their own," said Nathaniel Akunor, who is taking the medical laboratory assistant program.
"I'm hoping they come to a resolution."
The SGEU, which represents the school's employees, is unhappy with the offer of a 5.5 per cent wage increase over three years. The group issued the strike notice Friday afternoon, but refused to comment further on the job action.
The union last issued a strike notice in November 2010 following 40 days of bargaining and four days of conciliation. The move was met with a lockout notice from SIAST. Neither party acted on their notices.
"We're disappointed," said Gary Earles, associate vice-president of human resources at SIAST.
"Since that notice went out, we had discussions with both our bargaining units today. We proposed formal mediation . The union suggested an informal process . They said
they would refuse to provide any assurance to us that they would withdraw the strike notice."
Normally in mediation, the parties agree to suspend or withhold job action while talks take place, he said.
Earles said there are no plans to meet with the union today.
"As soon as we make a decision on our next steps, we will be communicating that to all our stakeholders."
It remains to be seen if SIAST employees will actually pull the trigger on the present strike notice, but if they do, the job action is timed for maximum impact, as courses are fully underway by next week.
"It's pretty convenient," Tenuta says. "The more students disrupted by it, the more pressure there's going to be for some type of settlement."
rmaclean@thestarphoenix.com
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