Memorial University says it can make do with a strike of relatively short duration but a prolonged one would be problematic.
This is day two of the strike by over 800 members of MUNFA. Per course instructors are not involved in the job action.
Dr. Neil Bose, vice-president academic at MUN, says they lost an entire week a few years ago during Snowmageddon and finished the semester so a week or two they can handle by implementing some measures.
(Dr. Neil Bose.)
Beyond two weeks it becomes more difficult. He says decisions at that point would have to be made in conjunction with faculty members.
Meanwhile, the university has asked the provincial government to review legislation that would change the governance and administration of the university. The province is pursuing amendments to the Memorial University Act to include the addition of faculty representation on the board.
Having a say in management of MUN is one of three key issues in the strike.
The Students Union says students are very concerned, especially those who have a mid-term coming up this week. Spokesperson Isabelle Ojeda wishes for MUN to go back to the bargaining table and agree to a fair deal.
She says the university has put students in an impossible situation and s trying to pit them against faculty.
Nursing Students Left in Limbo
The strike at Memorial University has left the future of about 70 Faculty of Nursing Students in limbo.
Student Madison Bailey says fourth year nursing students were doing their independent clinical rotations, which are essentially an unpaid work term, before the strike hit.
While the strike is ongoing, they are not allowed to complete those clinicals, which could impede their ability to graduate on time.
That’s particularly problematic considering that Bailey, and others in her class, have jobs already lined up with Eastern Health with orientation scheduled to begin May 1.
She says if their clinicals have to be extended that will impact graduation, which ties into the nursing shortage as that would affect 70 new nurses going into the system.
Bailey explains that while the Faculty of Nursing is covered by MUNFA, the Centre for Nursing Studies and Western Regional School of Nursing are not, and as such those students are carrying on as per normal.
Bailey says she and another student were doing their clinicals on the same unit in the Health Science as three CNS students. The other students can continue their clinicals while they are being held back.
