Hundreds of Concordia University employees adopt strike mandate on remote work
Posted May 28, 2024 9:52 am.
Last Updated May 28, 2024 1:18 pm.
Hundreds of Concordia University Professional Employees’ Union (CUPEU–CSN) members adopted a two-week strike mandate that will be called at a time deemed appropriate — after 10 months of negotiations, the University refuses to discuss hybrid work, they said in a news release on Tuesday.
The 600 union members hold a variety of positions, including academic, financial, information technology, as well as psychologists and nurses, among others.
According to the news release, though the CUPEU–CSN hopes to avoid a strike, a possible labour dispute could jeopardize the start of the academic year if things do not change, they say.
“Concordia applies hybrid work inconsistently,” said Shoshana Kalfon, president of the CUPEU–CSN, in the news release. “The ability to work remotely should be included as a working condition in our professional work environment.”
The University stated in its 2024 climate action plan that: it encourages its employees to work remotely to reduce their carbon footprint linked to commuting.
The union says that it is at a loss to explain how the University reconciles this stance with its negotiating position.
“Concordia treats hybrid work as a privilege that can be taken away from its employees at any time,” said Danny Roy, president of the Fédération des professionnèles–CSN in the release. “This attitude has no place in the postpandemic world of labour.”
In a statement to CityNews on Tuesday, Concordia University stated that “we value our relationship with our unions and employees.”
“Negotiations are continuing,” they added. “We look forward to continuing to work with the union at the bargaining table.”
“Since the pandemic,” added Dominique Daignault, president of the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain–CSN, in the news release. “The ability to work remotely has become an almost inevitable bargaining issue for professional positions.”
“The strike mandate is solid, and employees can count on the CSN to be behind them until the end of negotiations.”
