MONTREAL -- After 18 months of negotiations, library employees at Concordia University have voted for a strike mandate.

"Since the beginning of the year, the negotiations have stalled due to the employer's unjustified insistence on severely restricting advancement possibilities for new employees,” said Kent Cluff, president of the Concordia University Library Employees' Union (CULEU).

"Not only has the university been completely unwilling to compromise on this issue, but it has also refused to discuss any other topics until the matter is settled, which is why very little progress has been made after 16 negotiation meetings."

The next round of talks is expected to start Friday. It will be conducted in the presence of a conciliator from the Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MTESS).

"Our members are getting very frustrated with the university's stubbornness," said Cluff. "We are hoping the conciliator will help move the talks forward, but our members are prepared to take the next step and go on strike if the university doesn't start showing respect for the negotiation process."

The union voted for the strike mandate at a general meeting on Nov. 29. It says it has adopted a financial support fund for workers during the strike.