Universite de Laval: Faculty vote overwhelmingly in favour of an agreement

Laval University students attend their anthropology course Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at Laval University in Quebec City. Student Laurent Proulx, who won a partial court victory in his bid to reopen his university amid student strikes, made his way through rows of students before entering the classroom. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

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Unionized professors at the Université de Laval voted overwhelmingly in favour of the conciliator's agreement, raising the prospect of an end to the strike if the employer agrees to it.

More than 800 professors gathered in a general assembly on Wednesday afternoon accepted, by 92.6 per cent, the recommendation of the Ministry of Labour conciliator.

The Syndicat des professeurs de l'Université Laval (SPUL) made the announcement in a press release early Wednesday evening.

According to the SPUL, "the members felt that the gains obtained at the bargaining table were sufficient" to give massive support to the agreement and interrupt the strike that began a few weeks ago.

The labour dispute will officially end if the Université de Laval board of directors ratifies the conciliator's agreement on Wednesday night.

"Unless the situation changes, professors will return to work tomorrow and the majority of classes will resume starting next Monday," the union said Wednesday.

The conciliator's proposal contained a resolution regarding salaries and the employment floor, in addition to including all aspects that the two parties had already agreed upon, SPUL said.

The details of the agreement should be known in the next few days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 29, 2023.