Faculty staff at Ontario’s cash-strapped public colleges could walk off the job in a matter of days after the union representing them issued a strike notice over stalled contract talks.
On Friday, the union representing faculty workers at Ontario’s 24 public colleges published a five-day labour action notice, claiming its members are not being offered job security.
The five-day labour notice would put faculty staff at public colleges in a position to take part in any form of strike action from Jan. 9 onwards. What strike action is planned — from work-to-rule to a full walkout — is unclear.
“Despite half a year of bargaining, college faculty are entering 2025 without a contract in hand,” the OPSEU bargaining unit representing faculty staff said in a statement.
“A new year should invite progress, but the employer’s only offer on the table would leave us worse off than our now three-month expired agreement.”
The union is bargaining with the College Employer Council, which represents the province’s public colleges in negotiations with faculty staff.
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At the beginning of March 2022, the two sides traded similar accusations, with the union also threatening strike action. That strike was averted at the last minute through arbitration.
Graham Lloyd, CEO of the CEC, said in a statement sent to Global News that he is “disappointed” the union had chosen to move toward strike action.
“We urge OPSEU to enter mediation this week with more realistic demands so that we can get a deal and avoid an unnecessary strike,” he said.
The potential disruption comes after a tumultuous 12 months for Ontario’s college sector, which began at the beginning of 2024.
In January, the federal government capped the number of international students coming into the country. The change saw international student numbers in Ontario fall by roughly 50 per cent, with the provincial government applying a stricter cap to colleges than universities.
The reduction hit colleges, which have struggled with frozen tuition fees and funding they say falls short, particularly hard. Many had begun to rely on international students to make up funding gaps — with around a third of all revenue across Ontario’s 24 public colleges coming from international students.
The Ford government did announce more than $1 billion in funding for the sector after the cap was confirmed, but it was less than its own expert panel had called for and far less than colleges said they needed.
Toward the end of 2024, the axe began to fall internally at public colleges across the province, with one campus shuttered and other institutions cutting programs and staff.
The CEC said that financial hardship means colleges don’t have the money to meet union demands. Lloyd urged the union to take that into account and table new demands.
“Since July, we’ve been telling the Union of the financial instability occurring in the College sector, a predicted $1.7 billion in losses, and the need to adjust their demands,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Colleges and Universities told Global News it was “monitoring the situation closely” and hoped a deal could be reached but said it was not directly involved.
Non-binding mediation between the two sides is set for Jan. 6 and Jan. 7.
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