The Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d’université (FQPPU) strongly condemns Dalhousie University’s decision to impose a lockout—a first in a U15 institution—and expresses its full solidarity with the nearly 1,000 faculty and professional staff members represented by the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA).
Less than two weeks before the start of the fall term, as DFA members were still democratically voting on the employer’s latest offer, the administration chose to impose a lockout. This authoritarian move has thrown the university into turmoil, sparking deep concern among both faculty and students, who will directly bear its consequences.
In brief
- Clear and firm solidarity. The FQPPU denounces the lockout imposed on nearly 1,000 faculty and professional staff members at Dalhousie—a first in a U15 university—and reaffirms its unwavering support for the DFA.
- Fair working conditions. Faculty members are demanding salaries that keep pace with the cost of living, an end to the growing reliance on short-term contracts, and reasonable workloads to preserve the university’s core mission of teaching and research.
- A call for responsibility and solidarity. The FQPPU urges Dalhousie’s administration to return immediately to the bargaining table and calls on academic associations and unions across the country to support the DFA in vigorously defending the future of Canadian universities.
Demands at the heart of the university’s mission
The DFA members are primarily demanding salaries that keep pace with the cost of living and compensate for a 9% loss in purchasing power accumulated over the past decade. They are also opposing the administration’s growing reliance on limited-term contracts. In addition, they are calling for legitimate improvements such as reasonable workloads and better access to childcare services.
At a time when societal and environmental challenges require the crucial contribution of universities, the importance of these demands cannot be overstated. “Ensuring decent conditions for the university’s faculty and professional staff also means safeguarding the quality of teaching and research that directly benefits not only students but society as a whole,” said Madeleine Pastinelli, President of the FQPPU.
Defending the university as a public good
The FQPPU reiterates that the university is an essential public service and a common good that must be shielded from market-driven logics. Resorting to a lockout—an employer weapon borrowed from the worst practices of the private sector—marks a dangerous precedent for the future of Canadian universities.
The FQPPU therefore calls on Dalhousie’s administration to immediately return to the bargaining table in a spirit of genuine respect and listening, to reach a fair and lasting agreement. The Federation also urges academic associations and unions across Canada to mobilize massively in support of the DFA. This conflict extends far beyond the boundaries of a single campus, raising fundamental questions about the future of universities as they face mounting pressures to adopt corporate-style management models.
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