The Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers and the university administration are to appear before a conciliation board after months of face-to-face contract negotiations for full-time faculty have fallen through.

The parties are in conflict over several major issues, including salaries, intellectual property rights, tenure criteria, mandatory retirement and language about financial exigency/layoffs.

Negotiations between AUNBT’s full-time unit and the employer ended Feb. 2 after a round of talks with a provincial conciliator failed to produce a contract settlement.

While some progress was made in conciliation, “substantive negotiations (are) at an impasse,” said an AUNBT report to union members.

The union has been bargaining for a collective agreement for UNB’s 600 full-time academic employees since June 2009.

Along with their full-time colleagues, the university’s contract academic staff also are in prolonged contract negotiations.

AUNBT, which began negotiations with the employer on a first contract for the 500-member bargaining unit in May 2008, says most items are agreed, but a few key articles remain.

The association applied to the provincial minister of labour for appointment of a conciliation officer on Feb. 5 “in hopes of moving the talks over the finish line of a collective agreement,” the union’s web site indicates.

Talks between both sides and a conciliator were underway at press time, but if conciliation doesn’t work, the union would then have to decide whether to authorize a strike vote.