A new contract between Brandon University and its faculty association has been ratified, following months of bargaining between the two sides.
The four-year deal was approved by the university’s board of governors Wednesday, and ratified by the faculty association on Thursday, with 95 per cent in favour of the agreement, according to a news release from the university.
The new agreement, effective April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027, will see general wages of 2.5 per cent, 2.75 per cent, three per cent and three per cent, along with other adjustments, according to the release.
Full-time faculty members will receive a general lump sum of $1,800 and part-time members will get $900.
The release also said equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and reconciliation were “predominant priorities” during the recent round of negotiations. The new agreement seeks to ensure members of equity-deserving groups have fair and equitable access to opportunities and recognition, according to the university.
The faculty association represents about 250 full and part-time staff at the institution’s campuses in Brandon and Winnipeg, according to the release.
They had been without a contract since the end of March 2023, and in January, the association’s membership ratified their negotiating team’s mandate to bargain.
Key issues included workload, academic freedom, salaries and benefits, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion, the union previously said.
Its members voted in favour of a strike mandate last month, but negotiations continued and the strike was averted.
