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Labour Relations

Â鶹´«Ã½ Collective Bargaining


Universities across Canada have collective agreements with their faculty and staff and collective bargaining, negotiations to renew collective agreements, are a routine part of the life cycle of collective agreements. Â鶹´«Ã½ currently administers five collective agreements.

  • DFA (Full Time Faculty, Librarians, Counsellors)
  • CUPE 3912 (Part Time Academics, Teaching Assistants, Markers and Demonstrators)
  • NSGEU 77 (Administrative and Technical Support)
  • NSGEU Local 99 (Facilities Operational Support)
  • PSAC Local 86001 (Post-Doctoral Fellows)

Â鶹´«Ã½ is committed to integrity in our labour relationships. Competitive terms and conditions of employment for our faculty and staff are foundational to our ability to deliver on our mission of teaching and learning, service to the public and the academic community, and research and scholarly and artistic work.

We are committed to concluding collective agreements which provide a fair and competitive total compensation package.

How does collective bargaining commence?

To start the collective bargaining process, at least one party must give notice. The parties then set up dates to exchange and negotiate proposals.

What is collective bargaining?

Collective bargaining is the negotiation process by which the parties to a collective agreement renew the terms of an existing collective agreement or negotiate a new collective agreement when the union is first certified to represent a new bargaining unit.

The Trade Union Act of Nova Scotia obligates both sides of a collective agreement to meet in a timely manner and to negotiate in good faith with a view to concluding a collective agreement.

What is a collective agreement?

A collective agreement is a written contract between an employer and a union providing agreed terms and conditions of employment that apply to all members of the bargaining unit.

Bargaining units

Â鶹´«Ã½ employees, depending on their role, can belong to one of several bargaining units; each of those units engage in collective bargaining with the university on terms and conditions of employment.