University of Manitoba strike ends, students to return to class Tuesday

After more than a month, a strike at the University of Manitoba has come to an end and students can start heading back to class.

In a release Tuesday morning, the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) said its members ratified a tentative agreement with the school administration late Monday.

“Our members were on strike to improve working conditions for faculty and learning conditions for students,” said UMFA president Orvie Dingwall, in the release.

“This agreement will improve equity for the lowest paid and most precarious UMFA members, while also ensuring that we can recruit and retain professors, instructors, and librarians at the University of Manitoba.”

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A statement on the University of Manitoba website said the agreement will see the union and school administration enter into binding arbitration, meaning classes will resume Tuesday.

According to UMFA, 881 members voted in favour and 88 were opposed. The union says 969 out of 1,264 members voted.

The union has been on strike since early November after the faculty association called for better wages and better methods to keep the staff from leaving to join other schools.

There’s no word on the exact details of the deal, but the union said Tuesday it will improve maternity and parental leave benefits and establish a new position to help members find childcare.

A final decision on compensation will be determined through the binding arbitration process, the union added.

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