Administration and union representatives from St. Francis Xavier University met Thursday in what appears to be an attempt to end the strike which started at the Antigonish campus on Monday.
St. FX president Sean Riley and the administration’s chief negotiator, Dr. Robert van den Hoogen, met with the association of university teachers lead negotiator Brad Long as well as AUT president Peter McInnis.
“The reason that the meeting was called was to dial down the rhetoric between the two parties and try to reinstate a substantive discussion on outstanding issues,” said university spokesperson Cindy MacKenzie.
A release on the St. FX AUT site said that both sides agreed to restart negotiations as soon as is practical. The administration will extend an invitation to the union when it is ready to resume talks.
“We’re hoping the resolution of some key issues will lead to a collective agreement. We’re willing to participate actively in the hard work that lies ahead,” Long said.
