FSA and BCIT agree to Letter of Intent on Applied Research

FSA and BCIT agree to Letter of Intent on Applied Research

The FSA and BCIT have agreed to further pursue their joint efforts to better describe the applied research work performed by FSA members.  The union and employer found considerable agreement on this topic during bargaining in 2015.  Concerns external to BCIT prevented the employer from getting the authority to conclude that agreement.

BCIT and the FSA have now made a formal commitment (PDF) to continue the work begun in bargaining and to seek the authority to conclude and implement any resulting agreement.  The parties will now attempt to define the changes they wish to make to the collective agreement to recognize the applied research activity undertaken by FSA members.  Changes that do not impact the collective agreement may also result from the discussions and the collective agreement cannot be changed without BCIT getting the authority to do so from the provincial government.  The parties agreed to complete this work by December 31, 2016.

As part of this agreement, the FSA and BCIT have agreed to allow the appointment of student employees to developmental positions within the bargaining unit.  These developmental student appointments typically arise from co-op placements and work on applied research projects. Authorization from the union must still be received prior to hiring for each appointment under the student employee category, but work of a developmental nature will not be a barrier to that approval.