University of Lethbridge Faculty strike continues with no end in site
Students at the University of Lethbridge are still unable to attend classes as faculty members head into week two of a labour disruption. The strike officially started on February 10 after being without a collective agreement for almost 600 days.
Faculty Association President Dan O’Donnell says they have sent the school a new offer and have expressed their willingness to go back to the table at any time but have only received two separate letters saying no. “A major issue in this strike is respect or a lack of respect, so this is nothing we weren’t expecting.” He adds it seems a little odd the board of directors won’t resume talks since the fact students are not in class should be more than enough reason enough.
In a written statement the school’s board of directors says, “our board is responsible for making independent decisions that protect the investments students are making, preserve the value of their education and future sustainability of the university.” It goes on to say the “university has to weigh “affordability for students against our available budget.”
The school had its base funding slashed by about 12 per cent between 2020 and 2022, amounting to more than $12 million. The University of Lethbridge is among many post-secondaries in the province that have had their funding cut since 2019.
