Mediation vs. arbitration has become a contentious issue at a university in the Canadian province of Manitoba.  Michael Werier, who has served as a mediation attorney in a dispute at Brandon University, has announced that the two sides have reached an impasse.  The statement was released in a report issued by the Department of Labor for the provincial government of Manitoba.

Werier wrote that "The mediation process did not result in a settlement," adding that "the major barrier to a resolution of the work stoppage and the conclusion of a new collective agreement is wages.  Neither side is prepared to move from their positions."

Based on this conclusion, Werier went on to recommend that binding arbitration should be used as a viable strategy for resolving the labor dispute. 

Mediation vs. Arbitration Issue Affecting Students

Students at the university are frustrated because faculty members are on strike, a situation that affects the students' education.  Jim Osiname, who has a daughter attending Brandon, remarked, “We're not taking sides here.  We're not saying the intellectuals are wrong.  We're not saying the school is wrong.  We're just saying, find a compromise, and do it really quickly without putting the students' time in jeopardy.”

Education mediation is one form of compromise related to learning, but as Werier has indicated, this situation may call for arbitration instead.