Ontario college faculty union will be in legal strike position Saturday, it says
The Canadian Press | Posted: January 4, 2025 2:21 AM | Last Updated: January 5
Colleges can't afford to meet union's demands, says College Employer Council CEO
The union representing Ontario's college faculties says it could begin some form of labour action next Thursday.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) will be in a legal strike position as of Saturday but has to give five days' notice before embarking on a strike.
OPSEU said it gave the necessary notice Friday.
The union said it will meet with the College Employer Council, the bargaining agent for Ontario's 24 public colleges, for non-binding mediation on Monday and Tuesday, and remains committed to "bargaining productively."
But it said that unless an agreement is reached in mediation, it seems unlikely that a deal that would protect its members could come without "the urgency of labour action."
"The CEC continues to table language that works against faculty interests at a time where colleges are threatening frontline workers with austerity and the majority of courses [are] being delivered by faculty who work on precarious contracts," the union said in a news release Friday.
Two weeks ago, the union said no real progress had been achieved in contract negotiations, and that mediation in early December raised concerns about the possible deterioration of work conditions, job security and quality of education.
Council disappointed at timing of move
Graham Lloyd, the council's CEO, said he's disappointed the union chose to give notice just days before mediation was set to resume.
"We urge OPSEU to enter mediation ... with more realistic demands so that we can get a deal and avoid an unnecessary strike," he said in a statement Friday.
The CEC said the union's demands would raise academic costs at a time when institutions are grappling with financial instability.
The strike action "puts students' learning at risk," Lloyd told CBC Toronto on Saturday.
He said colleges can't afford to meet the union's demands — which include wage increases and giving workers five weeks of self-directed time, in addition to their existing nine weeks of vacation. The union has not defined what this self-directed time would look like, he said.
In total, the demands would increase annual college costs by $1 billion, Lloyd said.
"Currently, with the financial constraints being put on colleges, this is completely unacceptable," he said.