Labour Relations
Welcome to Northwestern Polytechnic’s hub for general information about our employee groups, collective bargaining agreements and progress, and labour relations at Northwestern Polytechnic.
Employee Groups
Our campuses are home to the following three employee groups:
Collective Bargaining at a Glance
Collective bargaining is the process for unions and an employer to negotiate a group agreement that outlines wage, benefit and working condition expectations. Through bargaining, NWP seeks to achieve fair, respectful, and collaborative agreements that support employee well-being while ensuring the polytechnic’s long-term sustainability, continued growth, and enduring ability to meet learning community needs.
As a government-funded public sector employer, NWP’s labour relations and collective bargaining processes are guided by the province’s Labour Relations Code, Public Service Employee Relations Act, and Post–secondary Learning Act. This provincially mandated approach to bargaining is outlined in more detail on the Government of Alberta’s website.
The Process
Standard collective bargaining will go through five main phases:
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Notice to Bargain Collective bargaining notice is served by either party. arrow_circle_down |
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Proposal Exchange Both parties begin negotiations by sharing their proposed additions, changes or deletions to the existing collective agreement. arrow_circle_down |
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Negotiations Small teams representing each party will discuss the tabled proposal and associated rationale during scheduled meetings. Collective agreement renewal is the end goal. If an agreement is unable to be reached, parties may move towards mediation, arbitration, and/or job action. arrow_circle_down |
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Ratification Typically, the association/union will host a meeting and vote on the tentative agreement. A majority of votes determines if the contract is ratified (accepted) or rejected. NWP must also obtain principal approval from the Board of Governors. arrow_circle_down |
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Settlement When the bargaining teams have reached a tentative renewal collective agreement, the agreement must be ratified with respective employee groups. check_circle_outline |