HALIFAX — A conciliation meeting is set for Monday in the contract dispute between Halifax's Dalhousie University and its faculty association, as a school-imposed lockout affecting about 1,000 employees stretches into a third week.
The university, the largest in Atlantic Canada, locked out professors, librarians and other teaching and support staff on Aug. 20, after it was unable to reach an agreement with the union.
Dave Westwood, president of the Dalhousie Faculty Association, told a crowd gathered for a rally on Friday near a Dalhousie library that he hopes Monday's conciliation meeting is productive, and that the union and school can soon reach a deal "so we can get on with our work and get students back into classrooms where they belong and where they want to be."
The faculty's current contract expired June 30, and Dalhousie has offered two per cent wage increases in each year of a three-year deal. Dalhousie's faculty association has proposed increases of 3.75 per cent in the first year, 4.75 per cent in the second, and 5.75 per cent in the third.
Since Dalhousie's academic year began on Tuesday, some students have had their classes cancelled or disrupted due to the lockout. However, some courses or labs that are taught by teaching assistants or part-time instructors, who are not part of the faculty union, have been going ahead.
Ella Parsons, a Dalhousie bachelor's student in her final year, says none of her classes have gone ahead due to the lockout.
"It's very frustrating to know that this is something that could have been avoided if the (university) board just sat with the DFA (Dalhousie Faculty Association) and actually listened to their concerns," Parsons said in an interview at the rally Friday.
She said it was important to her to attend the rally and participate as a speaker on behalf of the Dalhousie Indigenous Student Society to support the professors who have helped her over the past several years.
"At points when I felt like giving up, I had faculty members tell me to keep going, give me second chances where I don't think I even deserved a second chance. And I really wouldn't be where I am today in my degree if it weren't for so many of these amazing faculty members who are currently locked out," the student said.
Parsons said she's optimistic for a positive outcome, noting however that "there's a lot of uncertainty right now."
Members of the union have been picketing for 17 days.
"I'm worried about graduating on time, honestly. Worried about being able to complete my thesis in a timely manner," Parsons said, adding that she knows some of her peers are dealing with the same concerns.
Addressing students in the crowd, Westwood said the faculty members "feel your pain" and are keen to get back into the classroom.
The faculty association also noted that 15 per cent of its members are in a precarious situation since they do not have permanent jobs.
A university spokesperson, in response to a request for comment Friday, provided a Thursday statement from a Dalhousie vice-president of "people and culture," Grace Jeffries, saying the school welcomes the chance to return to the table.
Jeffries' statement also says the school is available to meet with the union ahead of the Monday meeting with the conciliator.
"If talks can be productive, and result in an outcome that allows our academic mission to resume in full, we see no reason to wait until Monday," Jeffries said.
Catherine Wall, a spokesperson with the faculty union, said the association will only bargain with both teams at the table and the conciliator present. Therefore, they will not meet with the school's board before Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
