VIU Strike Threatens University

Are We Witnessing The Demise of VIU ?

I am uncertain if we are about to see history made right here in Nanaimo. If we are it would be for the dubious distinction of being home to the first University which did not complete a semester due to a labour disruption. It is my understanding that short of a miracle as of tomorrow, April 11 if the present dispute is not resolved this semester will be lost and students can apply for refunds of their tuition fees.

How Did It Come To This?

Since we are not privy to the inner discussions with the faculty union, as their meetings are not open to the public as neither are the boardroom meetings at VIU, what I offer here is based from my outer appearances lens. But that is the only lens I have as neither side will tell you what is 'really' going on behind their decisions.


The union would have you believe they have hit the picket lines purely for a matter of principle, that they had no self serving motives guiding their decisions. They would have you believe that the welfare of the students has directed all their actions.


That might be easier to believe if it were not for what was originally called the 'deal breaker' when they were insisting on a no layoff clause in their contract, which was later reduced to an 18 month layoff notice. I fail to see how either of these 'deal breakers' are of benefit to students and do nothing except attempt to get iron clad guarantees of lifetime employment. Had they agreed to finish this semester and then go on strike which would put the University in the position of coming to an agreement before next semester, or having nothing to offer future students, the union's claim of having the students interest in the forefront would be more believable.


During the most recent round of negotiations (if you can call them that) the union claims they were close to an agreement, while the University claims the union keeps putting demands back on the table which previously had been removed. In these situations there are always three sides to the story, and truth is the hardest one to find. Impossible in fact if you are not actually listening to the negotiations.


The university is quoted in the paper as claiming to have given the union all they can without beginning to give over areas of management of the university to the union. The union president says they are not seeking to enter into the management of the university but do want a say in the courses to be eliminated and a say in the jobs affected by these decisions. I leave it to you to decide if those are not management decisions, and seem to have job security as their central driving principle.


The university claims they have to run the institution in a prudent and fiscally responsible manner and by eliminating some courses is one way those aims are met. Whether they actually have some long range plans to eliminate all 'marginally profitable' courses and run the institution purely from a self serving standpoint is open to speculation. We must remember that while universities play an important role in preparing people to be productive future citizens, making contributions to society, they are still very much a business which has to pay attention to the bottom line. Since just over 50% of their funds do not come from the taxpayer, unlike public schools fiscal responsibility plays a bigger role in their decision making. Remember, they are also run by people and we all have our own flaws, so whether they see themselves as serving society by providing a valuable service or as just another business gauging success by the bottom line, is beyond my insight.

Will Students Enroll Next Semester?

Presuming there is a next semester, how likely is it that this university has already suffered serious harm to it's reputation? How many parents and self funded students want to put themselves in the position of seeing  a repeat of this year? If you are choosing a university to invest your time and money in, are you going to gamble, you will get what you paid for by coming to this place? Regardless of the outcome of this debacle I well imagine that VIU is no longer the first choice for those considering university courses next year.


It would seem that as much as Nanaimo would like to pride itself on how progressive and modern we are, there are still deep seated roots of union / management animosity which is a throw back to the mining days upon which this town was founded.


At the end of the day, the students are the only real victims here, as the teaching staff are already paid salaries most of us can only dream of, as can be said for the administration staff of the university. In the meantime, students are simply being screwed over by both parties in what will forever remain a huge black eye on the university scene in Nanaimo.


There is no reason this semester could not have been finished without a contract, and then bargain throughout the summer, with both sides knowing full well an agreement is the only way they would be open for business next year. That would not have caused the financial and emotional stress the students are being subjected to. Of course, that might also have interfered with the summer plans of those underprivileged members of both sides of this dispute. However, if this were the course of action, both sides could have agreed to simply close down the university, which would then give future students the option of looking elsewhere to further their education.