NAC Orchestra musicians vote in favour of strike mandate with better wages central to their demands.

Unionized members of the National Arts Centre Orchestra have voted unanimously in favour of a strike mandate.

A spokesperson for the Musicians’ Association of Ottawa-Gatineau, which is an affiliate of the Canadian Federation of Musicians, said the primary issue in the negotiation is wages.

“Since COVID, the orchestra feels that it has fallen behind some of the other Canadian orchestras and they’re not happy about it,” said Robin Moir, secretary-treasurer of Local 180. “There are other odds and ends, like work schedules, but primarily it is money.” 

A day of negotiations with NAC management is scheduled on Oct. 15, she added.

“We are obviously hoping that there’s no strike, but the orchestra’s (strike) mandate lets the arts centre know that the musicians are quite serious about this negotiation,” Moir said. “Depending on what happens on the 15th, if they make us an offer that we think the orchestra can accept, then they can vote on whether to ratify it or not.” 

An previous report that work stress was an issue for the musicians is not accurate, she added, noting it has not come up in bargaining.

Meanwhile, the first concert of John Storgards’ tenure as music director takes place Nov. 4-5 with Beethoven and Dvorak on the program. The Finnish conductor, who’s been the orchestra’s principal guest conductor for years, succeeds Alexander Shelley as maestro, starting with the 2026-27 season.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com