Ontario college students could soon see their winter semester cut short as the union representing faculty at the province’s 24 public colleges could walk off the job as early as Thursday next week.
On Friday, college faculty represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) gave their five-day strike notice.
The union, which represents about 15,000 full-time and part-time professors and instructors, as well as counsellors and librarians, claimed that the colleges' current offer “would leave us worse off than our now three-month expired agreement.”
They have been without a collective agreement since September.
Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, a member of OPSEU’s bargaining, told CP24 Friday night that the union was hoping the strike notice would put pressure on the colleges to take bargaining seriously.
“We’ve been in bargaining since mid-July and, you know, really have made very little progress with the employer. It’s been a very long, difficult process, and the two sides are quite far apart,” Ramkissoonsingh said.
“In our view, really, the employer hasn’t negotiated seriously with us.”
The union and the College Employer Council (CEC) had agreed to enter non-binding mediation from Dec. 6 to 8, but no agreement was reached. The two sides are scheduled to meet again on Jan. 6 and 7 for mediation as students return to the classroom.
“If we cannot reach an agreement in mediation, it is unlikely that a deal that protects faculty futures can be reached without the urgency of labour action,” the union said in a statement on Friday.
“Any labour action will disrupt our lives – it’s a sacrifice for a better future, not a holiday. This is not a decision we have made lightly. It is a necessity, forced by the failed stewardship of college executives, CEOs, and out-of-touch politicians eroding quality education and piloting the college system into the present crisis.”
OPSEU has said its primary concern is over job security, as over 50 per cent of faculty, librarians, and counsellors are employed on semester-long contracts and don’t have long-term job stability.
“Over the last decade, we’ve added just under 100,000 students but only 500 full-time faculty have been hired during that time throughout the system,” OPSEU bargaining team chair Ravi Ramkissoonsingh told CTV News earlier this week. “Administrators have grown by three times that much.”
The union has also filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the ministry, claiming that the CEC is bargaining in bad faith.
Speaking to CP24 on Friday, Graham Lloyd, the CEO of the CEC, said he was extremely disappointed that the union had given its notice.
Lloyd is hoping that the union would agree to enter into binding arbitration to resolve disagreements and avoid a strike.
“The strike is completely unnecessary because we’re happy to continue the mediation. And in the event that we can’t resolve things at the mediation table, we would move it into a transition to arbitration. And that way, we can protect the students and keep the students in school,” he said.
According to Lloyd, the union is making unreasonable demands given the financial challenges colleges now face.
He said the union is also asking for an extra five weeks of self-directed time in addition to the nine weeks of vacation staff already receive.
“When you add up all the reductions and the increase, the less work and the increase in pay that they want, it’s a billion dollars. There is no way the college system can afford it,” Lloyd said.
Colleges are facing a significant reduction in revenue due to the recent cap that has been placed on international students. Lloyd previously said that one estimate sees colleges losing approximately $1.7 billion over two years in their revenue streams.
If a strike happens, Lloyd says colleges will do everything to protect the rest of the academic year and avoid it extending beyond April.
“We’re hoping that the union will come to the bargaining table with reasonable demand,” he said.
“Simply unfair and unnecessary for these students. It’s a challenging time for students.”
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities said in a statement to CTV News Toronto that the government is monitoring the situation closely and is hopeful that a deal could be reached between the two sides.