Queen’s University has applied to the Ministry of Labour for assistance in reaching a collective agreement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 901 (Unit 2) (“PSAC”), requesting the appointment of a conciliation officer to confer with the parties.
The University and PSAC Local 901 (Unit 2), which represents postdoctoral fellows employed by the university, have been meeting since October 2023 in efforts to renew the Collective Agreement. The Collective Agreement expired on June 30, 2023.
Conciliation is a process by which a conciliation officer is appointed by the Minister of Labour to meet with the union and the employer to attempt to conclude a collective agreement. It is a normal feature of the collective bargaining process and has helped the parties reach collective agreements in previous rounds.
The university administration respects the collective bargaining process and remains committed to working through it to reach a negotiated agreement that is capable of being ratified by both parties. Once reached, the details of any tentative agreement remain confidential until it is ratified successfully by both parties.