The Faculty strike at UPEI continued into day 16 on Tuesday, with no word from the Board of Governors on when they might return to the table for negotiations. Following the Board’s failure to attend a meeting on Monday morning, the UPEI Faculty Association sent the UPEI Negotiations Team another invitation to meet on Tuesday morning without preconditions. UPEI did not respond to the invitation, and did not attend the meeting. As of Tuesday, UPEI’s faculty strike has lasted as long as the previous strike in 2006.

According to UPEIFA President Michael Arfken, “17 years ago this was the last day of the strike, because UPEI and the FA were at the table by the end of the first week, and managed to come to a negotiated settlement that satisfied all parties. I can’t help but be struck by the fact that this time around, not only is UPEI refusing to come to the table, but there is no word from the leadership at all. The Chair of the Board of Governors and the Interim President are missing in action. Where is the leadership? It’s past time students and faculty heard from them directly about why they are refusing to take responsibility for the University they are supposed to be leading.”

According to Faculty Association Lead Negotiator Margot Rejskind, this refusal to bargain seriously is nothing new. “This is exactly the kind of obstructive behaviour we have been dealing with at the table for almost a year. For months all they wanted to do was discuss every last word in our proposals. Now that there’s some pressure they won’t even come to the table to discuss a compromise. This failure of leadership has been a pattern at UPEI in recent years, and it’s no surprise that it’s affecting bargaining in this way.”

The UPEIFA plans to invite UPEI to join them at the table once again on Wednesday morning.