Memorial University Faculty Association’s (MUNFA) strike is officially over as Memorial University and MUNFA announced their bargaining teams reached a tentative agreement.
According to the announcement released Friday evening by MUNL, details of the tentative agreement will be made public once ratified by the university’s Board of Regents and MUNFA.
In a media availability, however, President Vianne Timmons and Vice President Neil Bose assured that the tentative agreement represents a fair deal and they will work with faculty, staff, and students to ensure a smooth transition back to campus.
Students can expect to return to class next week, with details coming over the weekend.
President Timmons also confirmed that students would finish their winter semester on time, and negotiations will discuss potential tuition refunds representing class time lost.
This agreement comes after a two-week strike of the Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Faculty Association, which has garnered support from students and other faculty unions in the province and across the country.
Multiple student and labour groups joined MUNFA members on the picket lines and at rallies in solidarity, calling for the university to grant a fair deal to MUNFA.
A fair deal would include the following:
- Collegial governance.
- Improvements to salary and benefits.
- Better conditions for contract faculty workers in precarious conditions.
- Investments in tenure-track faculty.