An external mediator has been appointed to aid in an ongoing labour dispute at St. Thomas University in Fredericton.

The Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas put in the request for the mediator to Post-Secondary Education Minister Ed Doherty on Tuesday.

Within an hour of the request, the minister had appointed Milton Veniot to mediate the dispute. He is expected to arrive in Fredericton on Thursday.

"We think that bringing in a different person, someone who has not been involved previously, could be very useful in our case," said Dawn Morgan, spokeswoman for the Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas.

"A new set of eyes can bring different perspectives and fresh approaches," Morgan said, "and we really want to return to our classes and be with our students and resolve this mess that the employer created by locking us out."

Veniot has been involved in settling disputes at Acadia University, Dalhousie University and Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia as well as the University of Prince Edward Island.

Talks between the faculty and administration have been ongoing for three weeks. They are under a media blackout.

The faculty was locked out on Dec. 27 after 10 months of negotiations that failed to produce a new contract.

The teachers then voted to go on strike and hit the picket lines on Jan. 9.

The union asked the university's administration to make a joint application to Doherty for the mediator, but the university did not participate in that request.

"We're making good progress," said university spokesman Jeffrey Carleton. "We don't want to lose significant time while they go through this process."

The move by the faculty association is a "tactic to put pressure on the negotiating process," Carleton said.

Students were supposed to return to school on Jan. 3 but classes have been delayed indefinitely.

The union is asking for increased wages, more office space and a reduced workload.

Student support

On its website, the university says it has offered a reduced teaching load and a 2.5 per cent raise every year for the next three years.

About 50 students joined the faculty on picket lines on Monday to show their support for their professors.

Students are being affected by the faculty's poor working conditions, said second-year student Megan Ford.

"Some professors are incredibly busy and it's hard to get meeting time with them," Ford said.

Part-time faculty members can be spotted by where they are able to meet with students, she said, which is usually in the cafeteria. "It's not really appropriate."

First-year-student Craig Mazerolle said he doesn't believe the professors are being paid enough to retain them at the university.

"It would be very easy for professors to leave and we need them for our education," Mazerolle said.

In a similar student demonstration on Friday, more than 200 students marched around campus to call on both sides to reach an agreement.