University of New Brunswick students took to the streets of Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John on Friday, in the hopes of sparking a resumption of talks to end a two-week faculty strike.
In Fredericton, students gathered outside strike headquarters and urged professors to head back to the bargaining table.
“Right now there are 10,000 students who aren’t getting classes and it’s one thing for both sides to say they want to get back to the table,” says student union vice-president Greg Bailey.
“We really wanted to get people out and show that we’re the ones who are being affected. We’re the ones who aren’t in class right now.”
UNB students have been locked out of labs and lecture halls for two weeks, and many fear they may not graduate on time.
“We’ve kept our end of the bargain and then just, all of a sudden, to have the carpet pulled out from under us, right at the end,” says Ashley McKim, a UNB student in Moncton.
“Very frustrated, very anxious, we just want things to go back to the way, what we were expecting.”
The New Brunswick has taken a wait-and-see approach to the dispute, but that may change if no progress is made this weekend.
“We…certainly see the urgency is escalating for further involvement but at this point, we’ll see how the weekend plays out and then, maybe, early next week, have more to say about next steps,” says New Brunswick Post-Secondary Education Minister Jody Carr.
Sidelined students say, without quick resolution, an entire year’s work could be lost.
“Some classes have prerequisites, which you’re taking right now for the next year,” says UNB student Brett Casey. “If you don’t get those prerequisites, well then you’re not just out a semester, you’re out a year.”
Both the faculty and administration say they are willing to talk but there are no negotiations scheduled.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell
