Queen’s University has asked Ontario’s Ministry of Labour to issue a No Board Report after conciliation meetings failed to result in an agreement to renew its collective agreement with PSAC 901 (Unit 2) for Postdoctoral Fellows.
The University, and PSAC Local 901, which represents Postdoctoral Fellows employed by the university, have been meeting since October 2023 in efforts to renew the collective agreement. The agreement expired on June 30, 2023.
In August, Queen’s asked the Ministry of Labour to appoint a conciliator to assist the parties in reaching a collective agreement. The parties’ representatives met with a conciliator present on October 1, 2024, and again on October 16, but discussion ended at midnight on the second date without an agreement being reached.
A No Board Report is a normal feature of the labour relations process in the Province of Ontario. Once a No Board Report is issued, there is a 17-day period after which, at 12:01 am, the union will be in a legal strike position, and the university will be in a legal lock-out position. A work stoppage will not necessarily occur on or after that date.
Talks aimed at concluding an agreement can continue. The University remains committed to continuing to work with the union in the interest of reaching an agreement. Once a tentative agreement is reached, the details will remain confidential until it is ratified successfully by both parties.