Minister implores Ontario colleges and union to avoid strike action as deadline looms

Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities says college students “cannot afford a strike.”

Jill Dunlop, who serves as the member of provincial parliament for Simcoe North, made the comments at a press conference in Brampton. She was responding to questions about a strike deadline looming for Ontario’s 24 public colleges this Friday.

An open letter from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) set a Friday deadline for colleges to agree to union demands and  “save the school year”.

The letter asks the College Employer Council (CEC) to agree to the arbitration.

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The CEC is the government-mandated bargaining unit that negotiates with unionized staff on behalf of public colleges.

The staff that could strike by Friday include professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors.

“We are monitoring the process quite closely,” Dunlop said. “I’ve heard from students and from parents who are very upset. Students cannot afford a strike. They’re finally back in the classroom. That’s where they need to be, that’s where their best education is.”

The request from OPSEU for binding arbitration did not meet with a positive response from CEC.

“We have consistently stated since July that the remaining union demands could never be accepted,” Graham Lloyd CEO of CEC, said. He called the union’s offer “unrealistic and unacceptable”.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was asked about the potential strike during a press conference on Wednesday.

“I don’t like when anyone goes on strike, especially in these conditions. We went through such tough times,” Ford said, before passing the question to his Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Dunlop and Ford both pointed to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and called on both sides to reach an agreement.

“We’ve seen the resiliency of faculty, students and colleges come together during COVID to ensure that students continue their education,” Dunlop said. “And so I hope to see everyone back to the table and making sure that we do respect the bargaining and come to a deal.”