Union representing Ontario college faculty issues five-day strike notice

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.

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 notice of job action.

The union, which represents about 15,000 full-time and part-time professors and instructors, as well as counsellors and librarians, has been without a collective agreement since September.

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.

The union has also filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the ministry, claiming that the CEC is bargaining in bad faith.