Musicians with the National Arts Centre Orchestra have unanimously voted in favour of a strike mandate, according to their union, as negotiations over a new collective agreement with the National Arts Centre continue.
The Musicians’ Association of Ottawa-Gatineau, a local of the Canadian Federation of Musicians, represents the 61 full-time musicians in the orchestra. A spokesperson for the union told CTV News Ottawa that while the vote in favour of strike action was unanimous, bargaining with the NAC is still underway.
Union Says Deal Still Possible
Robin Moir, Secretary-Treasurer of the association, said in a statement that the union wants to reach a fair and equitable agreement with the NAC and believes that outcome is achievable. Moir said the union and the NAC are scheduled to meet again in mid-October to continue negotiations.
NAC Says Talks Continue in Good Faith
The National Arts Centre, for its part, confirmed that negotiations to renew the collective agreement with the orchestra’s musicians are ongoing. Noah Richardson, a communications strategist with the NAC, said both parties remain at the bargaining table and continue to negotiate in good faith.
Richardson said that, in the meantime, NAC Orchestra concerts and programming are continuing as usual, and the organization remains hopeful that an agreement will be reached between the two sides.
This article references reporting from:
