Thousands of workers at Ontario’s public colleges are now one week away from walking off the job, as attempts to reach a last-minute deal continue.
Support staff represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union will begin a strike on Sept. 11 if an agreement cannot be reached with the College Employer Council, which negotiates on behalf of 24 public colleges.
An update from the union at the beginning of September said talks had continued through August without reaching an agreement on “members’ top-line priority of job security.”
The claim talks were still stalled came days after the College Employer Council said it had tabled an improved offer for support staff.
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The improved offer included withdrawing proposed split shifts, no longer proposing an increase to on-call hours and maintaining bumping and grieving rights.
“A strike does not benefit anyone in the college community — not employees and not students,” the College Employer Council wrote. “Also, a strike will not make OPSEU’s unrealistic demands more affordable for colleges.”
Despite the improved offer, the union maintains the negotiations are an existential moment for staff and for colleges themselves.
“Our employer will tell you that your bargaining team is seeking ‘breakthrough’ proposals and try to convince you this isn’t the time to ask for more,” the union said on Sept. 1.
“But our college communities can’t afford the further gutting of student supports — and this round of bargaining is where we can put an end to devastating lay-offs, contracting out of services, or management taking on bargaining unit work.”
The potential strike comes as the province’s post-secondary sector continues to teeter in the wake of a federal clampdown on international students, which has squeezed income. Provincially, a years-long tuition fee freeze has also put pressure on costs.
A recent arbitration decision reveals that since then, at least 8,000 layoffs have taken place, with some 600 college programs cancelled across the province. Several major college campuses have closed entirely.
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