Ontario’s college students are getting an immersion course in labour relations now that a strike deadline of Oct. 16 has been set in the contract talks between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the province’s 24 colleges.
Mohawk College communications director Jay Robb says “if the strike happens on Monday, all full-time classes will be suspended and all tests and assignments postponed for the duration of the labour action.”
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He adds, “the plan is to make sure that every student can finish their semester. Ontario’s colleges have been around for 50 years and not once has a student lost their year due to a strike. So, once the action ends, the classes will pick up and we’ll make sure everyone can finish their semester.”
Robb emphasizes that not everything will be shut down if there are picket lines.
“Continuing education will continue as will clinical placements and work terms. Also, student services will be available at all campuses,” he says.
The College Employer Council says OPSEU rejected the colleges’ final offer of settlement, and instead, gave notice its members could go on strike Oct. 16 if a new deal is not reached.
The chair of the colleges’ bargaining team says the union should allow faculty to decide by putting the offer to a vote.
The proposal includes a 7.75 per cent wage increase over four years, with a new full-time faculty maximum of more than $115,000 by October of 2020.
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